On Into The Unknown
by drumbjo
Summary: AU - Sookie is a businesswoman who has a meeting with the elusive Eric Northman. But is he more than meets the eye? Set before the Great Revelation. Sookie/Eric
1. Chapter 1

Note: due to this website being a pain in the ass, I'm posting this as True Blood for now as we can't seem to post for SVM.

I have posted this once, but tried to change it to SVM and it crashed on me, so sorry if there are two versions! This is the correct one.

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**Yeah, me again. I wasn't planning on writing anything so soon, but this idea hit me for the IndieFic competition, but I decided I wanted to expand further on the idea, so hence the new story.**

**The building I'm describing a bit lower down is actually the Lloyd's Building in London.**

**I give you … Into The Unknown…**

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I could have done without this.

I jumped into the shower and washed my hair for the second time in one day. I didn't see why he had to insist on meeting me at seven in the evening for a business meeting. It wasn't even as if he would accept meeting in a restaurant, which was the usual acceptable thing to do when having an evening meeting.

But no, Mr Northman, it seemed, was nocturnal and only held meetings in the evenings. For the most part, I'd conducted the business through his associate Mr Burnham and lawyer Mr Cataliades, but this was the first time I had been invited to meet him.

In the few years that Mr Northman had been buying up property and businesses around the Shreveport and Bossier City area, he'd hardly been seen. He didn't attend the charity functions and galas like most other business leaders did, and more often than not, he didn't even send a representative. It seemed that Mr Northman was quite elusive.

And it certainly wasn't the case that I hadn't tried to do any research. I had tried to find those that had met him, but it seemed that no one could quite remember him in detail. I understood that he owned a 'goth bar' in an industrial area of Shreveport, which seemed completely bizarre to me, and his acquisitions appeared to be random, not focussing on any one line of business. And as for his life before Shreveport, even less was known of that. It seemed like this man had just come out of nowhere

Once I was out of the shower, I dried my hair roughly and pinned it up into a sophisticated up-do that elongated my neck, and pulled on my trusted grey Marc Jacobs skirt suit with a red blouse on underneath. It was one of my favourite outfits, and it managed to say both sexy and powerful – something I really planned on being in this meeting.

It was a little before six in the evening by the time I left my old family home in Bon Temps to make the drive to Shreveport. I knew that really, it would have made sense for me to live in the city, but the farmhouse had always been my home, and after my Gran had died from a stroke a few years earlier, I couldn't face leaving it. And anyway, I'd spent a fortune on getting a high-speed internet line installed, so it seemed only right to make sure I used it.

As I walked across the newly laid gravel to my Mercedes, I was startled to see a man stood in the shadows. He was completely still and his eyes were on me. I almost wondered if I was seeing things.

"Who are you?" I asked, wishing I had some kind of weapon on me.

"My name is Bill Compton, ma'am," he took a step forward and into the light that my security lighting was spilling across the driveway. I made a mental note to speak to Jason about fixing it so that there were no shadows.

"Nice to meet you Mr Compton, would you mind telling me what you're doing on my property?"

"I apologise, and please call me Bill."

"Certainly, Bill." He didn't look old enough to have such a name, but had a very strong Louisiana accent that seemed not from this time.

"I wanted to introduce myself, I have recently moved into the house across the cemetery from you."

"Oh, you're a relative of Old Mr Compton? I didn't realise he had any surviving family." The old man who had lived there before had died around six months earlier, and the house had been empty ever since.

"I am quite a distant relative, but the only one." He smiled and stepped forward. "I'm sorry; I didn't get your name."

"Sorry, my apologies," I faked my crazy Sookie smile at him. "My name is Sookie Stackhouse."

"Nice to meet you, Sookie. Such an unusual and beautiful name."

"Um, thank you. Look, I hate to be rude, but I have to get going as I have a meeting."

He looked at me directly in the eyes. "Why don't you invite me in, Sookie?"

I could feel a headache coming on, and I really wasn't in the mood for games by creepy neighbours. "Look, I just said I have to go to a meeting. I'm sorry to be discourteous, but I really have to run. Why don't you pop over tomorrow morning; I should be here until midday. I'm sure I could make you a cup of coffee."

Mr Compton looked confused, briefly, before he schooled his features.

"I am sorry, I'm busy tomorrow, but I do hope to see you again soon."

"Likewise," I lied. The man was truly very creepy, and I watched him skulk off into the darkness of the trees between our properties. Maybe I should also ask Jason about erecting a fence around the property as well as fixing the lights. It had never been needed before, but I didn't like the idea of random men walking onto my land.

I climbed into my silver Mercedes SLK and drove off towards Shreveport, my iPod tuned to a mix of Biffy Clyro and Kings of Leon. I arrived in Shreveport with quarter of an hour to spare, and I took the chance to update my nude lipstick before heading to the Area Five building. No one really knew why his businesses were under the name of Area Five, but it seemed like a good enough name, and it was memorable.

The building itself was large and imposing, and faced with dark steel that made it look even more daunting. It seemed to have the elevator shafts, conduits and water pipes on the outside and it reminded me of something out of the film _Brazil_, with no lights on in any of the windows other than the reception hall of the main building. I could only assume that they had used reflective glass, but I didn't see why someone would want to make a building look so unwelcoming.

I got out of my car and walked up to the entrance, showing my ID to the guard who told me to go on up to the eighteenth floor. The elevator was equally as cold and clinical, and it turned out the eighteenth floor was the top floor. I checked my make-up one last time in the mirror before the elevator dinged to announce my arrival on the top floor.

I stepped out of the elevator to be met by a blonde girl who didn't look any more than in her late teens or early twenties, but she had a confidence and an air about her that seemed to be much older, and not to mention the fact that she dressed like a soccer-mom.

"You must be Miss Stackhouse," she said drolly.

"Yes, are you Mr Northman's assistant?" she looked more like she could be the work experience girl, but I didn't want to be rude.

She looked offended nonetheless. "I suppose you could call me his protégé," she said with a smirk. I really had no idea even how old Mr Northman was, but I had assumed he was in his forties or fifties. Maybe this girl was his daughter.

She was staring quite intensely at me, like she was really studying me, and I again felt a headache come on. I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples, before looking back at her.

She gave me a quizzical look then turned and indicated for me to follow her down one of the poorly lit corridors. I was beginning to think that Mr Northman was trying to scrimp on his electricity bill.

"I'm sorry; I didn't catch your name."

"That's because I didn't give it to you," she said over her shoulder. I should have used that line when my neighbour asked me.

"Okay…"

She suddenly stopped in front of a pair of dark wooden doors that went right to ceiling height. "Mr Northman will see you now."

She gave me a small smirk and opened the door for me, indicating for me to go in. I swallowed audibly, my ears clicking at the pressure change and my mouth feeling bone dry. The room was as large and imposing as everything else about the building, but it had minimal furniture. There were two large leather sofas down one end of the room sat a right angles of each other with a dark glass coffee table, and then a huge dark wood desk dominating the other end.

And behind it sat a blond man smirking at me.

As soon as I had seen him, he stood up to greet me. "Welcome, Miss Stackhouse, to Area Five. My name is Eric Northman." He had slight accent that sounded northern or eastern European, but I wouldn't have been able to locate it closer than that.

"Nice to meet you, Mr Northman," I held out my hand for him to shake, but when he didn't respond I put my hand back down by my side, feeling a little embarrassed and surprised by his attitude.

The man was really not what I had expected. He was tall, very tall, and was probably in his late twenties or early thirties. He was wearing an impeccably cut dark blue suit with a crisp white shirt on underneath and no tie. The man looked like he could be an Olympic swimmer with the broadness of his shoulders, but the fact was that he was without doubt the most gorgeous man I had ever seen. He had striking pale blue eyes, a strong nose and jaw, perfect lips, alabaster skin and long blond hair that was tied at the back of his neck, with a few strands loose to frame his face.

When I finally met his eyes again, it was obvious that he had noticed me eye-fucking him, and I felt my face flush.

"Can I get you a drink, Miss Stackhouse?"

"Sure," I said, still feeling a little flustered. "Um … what do you have?"

"I believe we have tea, coffee, wine, or maybe something stronger…?"

"Coffee would be great. I'm not used to having business meetings this late, I could do with the caffeine."

"Certainly." He pressed a button on his desk that was no doubt an intercom and asked for his assistant, or protégé as she had called herself, to bring me a coffee. Only moments later, she entered the room carrying a cafetiere filled with steaming coffee, a small jug of cream, sugar and one mug. Mr Northman showed me to the sofas at the far end of the room, and we both sat on different ones so we could have our conversation.

"Are you not having any?" I asked him before I went about serving myself.

"No, I never drink … coffee." He had a slight smirk on his face.

"Sure." I used the time focusing on the drink to try and take control of myself. The man was seriously making me flustered.

I took the time to lower my shields and see if I could gain some knowledge on the man from his mind. It wasn't my usual style. I tried to be as ethical as possible when it came to my telepathy, and I had worked hard on increasing my shields over the years to the point where for the most part, I didn't hear people's thoughts unless I concentrated on them, touched them, or were a particularly loud broadcaster, which some people.

But with Mr Northman there was nothing. I could tell he was there, so it wasn't as if he was invisible, but there was a void or hole where his thoughts should be. I had met those who were harder to read than others, my ex-boyfriend Alcide Herveaux being one of them, and my friend and restaurant owner Sam Merlotte being another, but I had never met anyone where they had no thoughts at all. Even embryos had thoughts to some extent; this was nothing.

After adding sugar and cream to my coffee I turned back to him to see that he had been watching me.

"I'd like to thank you for agreeing to meet me, Miss Stackhouse, I understand that this is not a hospitable time for you. I hope that you have not had to come far."

"I live in Bon Temps, which is about thirty miles outside of the city."

"Do you live alone?"

It was a somewhat personal question, but I didn't mind answering him. "I do. I lived with my grandmother until she passed a few years ago, and I live in the family home that has been with the Stackhouses for generations."

"That is quite some history," he said with a smile. "I understand that your Grandmother took over the business after your grandfather passed?"

He had done his research. "She did. She hadn't been trained in business, but my grandfather taught her everything he knew and she did a great job."

"Now tell me, I believe that she left the business to you and your brother equally, but I understand that you are now the majority shareholder."

I bristled slightly. "My brother was not interested in running the business, so he sold thirty per cent of the business. Unfortunately he was more interested in chasing after women then running the company, so it was left to me." In all honesty, I was glad when Jason relinquished control to me. He was more of a manual labourer than a businessman, but ran the building division of our company very well.

"And you don't mind that?"

"Not in the slightest. I enjoy the challenge."

He leaned back into the sofa and crossed his long legs in front of him. "Your company has done well under your control. You have made some very fortunate acquisitions."

"Thank you, although it was not just good fortune. I work hard, Mr Northman, it is not simply luck that I have done well."

"I apologise, I did not mean to offend you." I wasn't entirely sure that I believed him, but he obviously knew the right thing to say.

We talked about our work and business, or should I say I talked about my work and business. Any time that I asked Mr Northman a question he dodged it, choosing to ask me one instead or skilfully sidestepping the answer without actually giving me any information. The man was obviously a very skilled politician.

And then we came down to the nitty gritty of what we were here to discuss. I owned some land on the outskirts of Bon Temps that Mr Northman wanted, and he had put in a very good offer, much over market value. It hadn't really understood why he was so keen to buy the land from me, but then I had also never understood the importance of the land either. All I did know is that it had been Gran's specific instruction that it should never be sold.

"I'm sorry Mr Northman, I really hope that I haven't wasted your time in being here, but I won't be selling the land."

His eyes were intense on me, but he didn't look angry or upset at my rejection of his offer to buy the land. "You will sell the land to me, Miss Stackhouse."

I felt the headache come back, but I couldn't understand why he was being so rude. "I'm sorry, Mr Northman, but I will not. I have already made my position clear on that matter."

He looked momentarily shocked, before intensely staring at me. "What are you?" It was more a whisper to himself than a question to me.

"I'm sorry?"

Mr Northman looked at me further before standing up. "Do excuse me, I need to have a brief word with my associate."

He left the room quickly and I was alone. I finished off the coffee and started to look around. There really wasn't anything personal in the room other than a painting of an old wooden boat that looked like it could be Viking. I wasn't too sure, though, history never had been my strong point.

I stood up to stretch my legs, wondering what was so important that he had to speak to someone else, and I stilled my breathing to hear whether I could hear anything being said. When I heard nothing audible, I lowered my shields and cast outside to see what other signatures I could detect. What surprised me was that I could hear no thoughts at all, and the only 'minds' I could detect was Mr Northman's and what I assumed to be his associate. But she, too, had no thoughts. They were both blank voids.

I jumped when the door suddenly opened behind me, and Mr Northman and his associate, or protégé, walked back into the room. I couldn't help but feel there was a slight tone that I was being hunted by them, and in that instant I worried that they were going to hurt me.

"Miss Stackhouse," Mr Northman started, "I am very sorry that we cannot come to an understanding over the land, but I would like your assurance that if you ever do sell the land, that I will be your first port of call."

"I won't be selling it," I reiterated, "but I can assure that if I was going to, I would contact you." It was irrelevant really, but it seemed only polite.

"Thank you, Miss Stackhouse, I will walk you to your car."

"Oh, you don't have to do that, I can find my own way."

"Please, I insist."

I swallowed. "Thank you."

He led me to the elevator where we both climbed in, and I was sure that I heard him sniff me, which certainly seemed very odd. The fact was that I was really having a strange evening, what with meeting my new slightly creepy neighbour, and now this building and Mr Northman.

"Good night, Miss Stackhouse," he said, taking my hand ever so gently in his hand and placing a soft kiss on the back. His lips were much cooler than I had imagined them to be, but then it was a slightly chilly November evening, and it hadn't been that warm inside his building. "I hope to see you around."

"Of course, and you."

I climbed into my car and drove home, relieved to be finally tucked away in bed. I didn't sleep well, however, and I was sure at some point I heard some animals fighting outside, but I didn't get out of bed to investigate. It was all a little too bizarre for me, and I was looking forward to getting back to normality.

**oOo**

"Okay, Missy, I'm calling an intervention. You are working too hard, and we're going out tonight."

Amelia and Tara were stood in my kitchen, both of their arms crossed and staring at me. "Look, guys, I'm really busy. Can we do this another time?"

I'd had a hectic few weeks since I'd been to see Mr Northman that strange evening, and although the girls were right, I really didn't want to go out.

"No we can't!" they both said in tandem.

Tara continued. "Look, Laf is coming as well and you know he doesn't get many Saturday nights off. So come on, and get your smelly ass in the shower."

"Firstly, I don't smell, and secondly where the hell are we going? You two look like you're going to a funeral."

They were both dressed head-to-foot in black, which was particularly strange for Amelia, as she normally preferred to dress like a suburban housewife.

"We're going to Fangtasia!" they announced at the same time again.

"_Fang_tasia? Seriously, who comes up with this stuff? And what, exactly, is Fangtasia?"

"It's the new goth bar that opened," Amelia explained.

"You two aren't goths. None of us are!"

"So? Rumour has it it's the place to be. Look, Sookie, you need to find a new man. I have Tray, Tara has JB, and Laf has, well, everybody. But you need a new man."

"You know how hard it is for me…" They both knew all about my telepathy, and knew what a struggled it was for me to have a relationship with anyone when I could hear their every thought. I got lucky with Alcide in that I couldn't hear him as well as other men, and although I liked Sam as a friend I could never see him as anything other than a loyal friend.

"Well, maybe there are more like Alcide out there. You know that you can't hear Tray very well either, but you hear me easily. Maybe it's like some genetic flaw that means there are some people you can hear better than others."

My mind instantly conjured up the image of Mr Northman in my head, being that he was someone I couldn't hear at all. Which reminded me. "Shit, tell me this isn't the place owned by Eric Northman?"

"Yeah, that's him. Apparently he is incredibly hot!"

I kept quiet. I hadn't told the girls about my strange meeting with him or my even stranger next-door neighbour

I sighed with resignation. There was no point arguing with these two when they were like this, and it would much less hassle for me to just go along with them.

"You do realise that I have nothing to wear. And I really don't suit black, so don't even think about it."

"Sookie, Sookie, Sookie, everyone suits black! But don't worry, we have something else for you." She had an evil glint in her eye and I had a feeling of dread come over me. It was dress-up-Sookie-time.

After showering and washing my hair, I dried it into loose curls and applied more make-up than usual before squeezing into the red dress Tara had brought for me to wear from her clothes shop. I didn't want to admit it, but I looked damned good and I really liked the dress, even if it wasn't my normal style. It was strapless and fitted across the chest, with a white ribbon around the waist and an A-line skirt that came to just above my knee. Paired with my trusted black Jimmy Choos I was ready.

Tara and I had already had a glass of wine each by the time we left my house, and with Amelia driving we picked up Lafayette and drove into Industrial Shreveport.

I didn't really know what to expect of Fangtasia. It was a building all on its own with a large parking lot and no windows whatsoever. There was a gaudy neon sign on the roof of the building with the club's name and posters outside. What's more, was that there was a massive queue of people around the outside of the club, and ninety-seven per cent of them being dressed solely in black. I was definitely going to stand out in my red dress, and I immediately regretted thinking it was such a good idea to wear it.

After parking up, we joined the back of the queue and slowly made our way forward. There certainly seemed to be an odd mixture of people. It obviously was the trendy place to be seen, as there were people – like us – who really didn't belong in a goth bar, and then there were those that really did: those that had tattoos, pale skin and piercings. I didn't want to feel intimidated, but I couldn't help it.

When we eventually got to the front, I couldn't be more surprised to see Mr Northman's associate standing at the door. This time she was dressed in a barely-there black leather dress and spike-heeled black leather boots. She raised a manicured eyebrow when she saw me.

"Miss Stackhouse, I am surprised to see you here."

"Um … yeah, I didn't think I'd be here either. My friends wanted to come." She ran an eye over each of them before settling her eyes back on me, her intense gaze back once again.

"Come on in. Mr Northman will be keen to see you." She indicated inside and someone came to replace her on the door as she guided us inside.

"He's here?"

"Oh yes, and he will think that you're quite delicious in that outfit."

I swallowed and looked around. Laf, Amelia and Tara were squealing behind me, but I couldn't see what was so exciting. The room was decorated solely in black and red, and had some kind of horror movie vibe going on, with black leather sofas, red tables and pictures of famous horror actors on the walls like Bela Lagosi, Max Schreck and Christopher Lee.

The blonde lady led us to the bar and indicated to a Native-American looking barman to serve us. I ordered my usual gin and tonic while the others went for cocktails, but I noticed that the barman had a strange other-worldly glow about him. And come to mention it, the blonde lady did as well.

This was all getting a little weird for me, and I was considering getting a taxi home as I knew that the others would not want to leave quite so early.

"Fuck me!" I heard Lafayette exclaim loudly. "That man is truly gorgeous. I want me a piece of that!"

I followed his gaze to a slightly raised platform where there was a large chair. And in that chair was none other than Mr Northman, his gaze planted firmly on me. The blonde lady was by his side and whispering something to him, he arm along the top of the chair.

I found that I couldn't pull my eyes away from him. This time he wasn't in his well-made suit, he was wearing only a black vest, dark jeans and black heavy boots. But he looked spectacular. The arms and shoulders I had fantasized about before were every bit as defined as I had imagined them to be, and his hair was down, brushing his shoulders. He was truly a sight to behold, and I didn't doubt that if I raised my shields I would hear lusty thoughts from everyone else in the room.

"Fuck, Sookie, he's staring straight at you!" Amelia squealed into my ear. "You should _so_ go and get some of him. Although you may have to fight Laffy off first!"

I looked away from him, and turned back to the bar, only to see my neighbour stood there. Great, just what I needed.

"Miss Stackhouse," he drawled. "How good to see you here, although I wouldn't have imagined that I would see you in a place like this."

"Yeah … I'm, um, here with some friends."

Except that when I turned around all three of them were on the dance floor and I'd been left alone with my creepy neighbour. I was really going to be having words with them when we got home.

He smiled. "It seems your friends have left you. Perhaps you would care to join me."

I really didn't want to. "No, it's okay, I'll go and join them on the dance floor, thanks."

I tried to pull away from him, but he grasped hold of my arm to hold me still. His grip was much tighter than I had anticipated, and I let out a squeal of surprise as he held me in place.

"Let her go, Compton," a voice behind me commanded, and I was stunned to see Mr Northman stood there. I had no idea how he's managed to get from the dais so quickly.

"She is mine!" Bill hissed back at him.

"Excuse me," I said to him. "I am not yours, and I would appreciate it if you let go of my arm. And while we're on the matter, please do not come onto my property uninvited again."

Bill didn't move, but was glaring at Mr Northman rather than me. "You heard the lady," he said with a smirk.

After five more seconds of the two men eyeballing each other, Bill let go of my arm and walked out of the bar. I couldn't remember ever having two men fight over me in such a way, or certainly not since elementary school.

"Thank you, Mr Northman," I told him politely. "You didn't have to do that."

"Trust me, I did. Pond life such as Bill Compton should be avoided."

He took my hand gently and led me to a private booth. A waitress came up to me and gave me a new gin and tonic, although I noticed that I was again alone in drinking. He leaned back into the booth and stared at me. I felt almost naked under his penetrating gaze.

"Why are you here, Miss Stackhouse?" he leaned forward again and rested his chin on his hands, his elbow on the table.

"My friends wanted to come and I agreed to come along. Am I not welcome here?"

He grinned at me. "Oh, you are more than welcome. But I find you very intriguing. I have never met anyone like you before. There is something unusual about you."

I could say the same about him. About this whole place. "Really? I said as innocently as I could.

"Yes, and I believe you know it as well."

"I don't know what you mean." I was normally a good liar having learnt to school my features when it came to hearing what people were thinking.

"I smell bullshit."

His blue eyes were twinkling, but I got the sense that I was not as safe as I thought I was with him. "I should probably go and find my friends."

"I think they just left." His voice was calm.

"What? They wouldn't go without me!" I stood up and looked around the room, and was shocked to see that they were nowhere in sight. "They're probably just outside."

I stood up and walked out of the front door of the club, highly aware that both Mr Northman and his associate were right behind me. As soon as I got out of the door I ran as best as I could to the place where Amelia had parked her car, but it was gone.

"Where are they?" I sobbed.

"I told you, they went home."

I'd had enough, and I leaned against a car in the lot and allowed my tears to come. I was trapped and alone in a bar in Shreveport, and I'd have to get a cab back, or at least spend the night in a hotel in the city.

"Come, Miss Stackhouse, please come back inside. I do not like your tears."

I looked up at him to see that he looked a little uncomfortable. I gave in and followed him, noticing that rather than going back in through the front door, they were taking me into the back entrance of the club. He led me to a small and untidy office that was a world away from the one he had in his other building.

I sat down on the large sofa, wrapping my knees underneath myself and taking the Kleenex offered to me. He took a simple metal chair and placed it in front of me as he sat on it the wrong way, his arms resting on the back of the chair, and his legs parted around the back as he faced me.

"May I call you Sookie?"

We probably were beyond calling each other by our surnames. "Sure."

"Then you can call me Eric."

"Okay."

"But what I want to know, Sookie, is what exactly are you?"

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**So, what do you think? Should I continue?**

**This is (obviously) set before the Great Revelation, so no one knows anything about vampires or the supernatural.**

**I'd love to know your thoughts.**

**~drumbjo**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok, so sorry about the trouble with the last chapter – it seems like (for now) FF is behaving itself.**

**Thanks ever so much for the reviews, alerts and favourites, I'm pleased that you guys appears to think this is okay so far!**

**This chapter is Eric POV, and he's not the nicest…**

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**Eric**

This was intriguing.

I'd hoped that I could have gotten away with not meeting Miss Stackhouse, as most of my business was easily conducted through my lawyer or day man. But Miss Stackhouse was proving difficult and would obviously have to be glamoured into selling the land, something I resorted to on occasion when necessary.

What was interesting was that Pam had been unable to glamour her when she first met her. Pam normally had no problem with glamouring anyone, so I was intrigued to know what she had done wrong when it came to this human. And I was even more intrigued when the woman walked into my office.

She looked stunningly beautiful in her professional suit, and she was curvy like a real woman should be, with her blonde hair in an up-do that perfectly showed off her very biteable neck. I could only imagine how hot she would look naked. In fact, I was looking forward to seeing it. And even more than that, she smelled fucking delicious. She was much sweeter smelling than most humans, and I couldn't wait to sink my fangs into her.

Due to Pam's failure, I probed her more than I usually would, trying to make her comfortable and asking about her family as I'd come across those who were easier to glamour if they were comfortable. I really wasn't interested, but I did wonder whether she had any inclination at all on what her land held. Unsurprisingly, when we talked about business, she told me that she would never sell the land. Again, it made me wonder what she knew.

But when I tried to glamour her, I too got nothing. I had met those who had been hard to glamour, but I had never once met a human who I couldn't glamour, even in my thousand years. My only conclusion was that she wasn't entirely human. I excused myself from the room and went to find Pam, who had a smug grin on her face.

"You failed as well?" she asked in Swedish.

I replied in the same language. "Yes. She cannot be human, or at least not entirely human."

"What do you think she is? She smells delicious; could she be part-Fae?" Pam had only encountered the Fae once in her time as a vampire, but like many others she was intoxicated by him and desperate to sink her fangs in. Unfortunately as the Fae were such a tricky race she didn't get to, but I had drank Fae blood on occasion and it was as delicious as it smelled.

"It's a possibility considering the land she owns. I've fully researched her father's side and I cannot find anything untoward, but her mother's side is more of a mystery. There seems to be very few records."

"Does she know?"

I thought about that. "Maybe, maybe not. There is definitely something she is not telling me, however."

"So what now?"

"I need to do further research. I will follow her home. Perhaps I can find some other way to convince her!" I said suggestively.

Pam simply rolled her eyes. "And if you can't?"

I shrugged. "I'll drain her. She can't be glamoured and I cannot risk her discovering what we are." I thought for a moment. "In fact, that way may be easier. Her land will no doubt revert to her stupid brother and he does not have the common sense that she does. I could make him half the offer I made her and he would no doubt sell. I'll try the other way first, however."

I generally tried not to kill humans too often, particularly ones in high positions like Miss Stackhouse was. That kind of act tended to draw attention and as I was the Sheriff of Area Five, I was supposed to set an example. But I'd kill her if I had to, and with the way she looked and smelled I could only imagine it would be quite an enjoyable task.

Pam and I went back into my office and said our goodbyes, and making sure that if Sookie did decide to sell it would be to me and no one else. She seemed to be a woman of her word, but I was going to make sure I would get that land one way or the other, and if I had to kill her, then so be it. I led her to the elevator to walk her out, taking the time to closer examine her scent, and I became more convinced that her sweetness could relate to her being part-Fae.

Once she got into her car and drove off, I followed her, flying overhead for the thirty miles or so outside of Shreveport to the middle of nowhere. I had been to Bon Temps itself a few times in my fifteen years in the state, and was aware that a shifter owned a bar, but there had been no other reason to go. Until now, that was.

It surprised me that she would live in a Podunk town like this, as she was a successful woman and could no doubt afford something much better in the city, but she was obviously a woman of simple wants and desires in choosing to live in her family home instead.

I watched her climb out of her car and walk into her house, my eyes following her as she got a drink of water in the kitchen and then leaving to go up the stairs to what was obviously her bedroom. Disappointingly, she went to get changed in her bathroom before coming out in a nightgown that covered too much and climbing into her queen-sized bed.

I landed just inside the tree line outside her property, but I was instantly aware of another vampire in the vicinity. I turned to see Bill Compton stood around thirty feet away, and I moved to him, quickly pinning him to a tree and clamping my hand over his mouth to keep him quiet. The last thing I wanted to his squealing to attract the attention of the human.

The whiny bitch was struggling against me, but since I had over eight hundred and fifty years on him, he didn't stand a chance.

"Compton," I started once he'd stopped wriggling. "I don't remember you coming to see me. You do know that not registering immediately with your sheriff carries a punishment of two weeks in a silver-lined coffin."

He had the decency to look scared.

"Why are you outside this house?" I didn't want to give away how much I knew about her.

I slowly removed my hand from in front of his mouth to allow him to answer me. "No reason, sheriff."

He was lying, and he really wasn't very good at it. "I don't believe you. Now tell me, what are you doing here?" I increased my voice to a loud hiss, but not enough to be heard by a human.

"I have moved next door to her in my ancestral home. I needed to see who she was. She cannot be glamoured." So he had tried as well. "Why are you here?"

I tightened my grip against around his neck and threw him into another tree. "You will not question what I do. I am your sheriff."

With Compton still pinned against the tree I called Pam to come and bring the van so we could escort Compton back to Fangtasia where I was well within my rights to hold him in the silver lined coffin. And for pissing me off, I was going to make sure it was a tight fit.

But I still didn't believe him. There was no logical reason for a vampire who had been a member of the Queen's court to move back to Bumfuck, Louisiana. He must have an ulterior motive, and I was intent on finding out what it was. I intended on keeping a close eye on him once I let him out of my basement. If I let him out, that was.

My concern was that his move to Louisiana had something to do with land I wanted to buy from Miss Stackhouse. I had been certain that no one else knew what I did, but him turning up here unannounced caused me to raise my suspicions.

Once Pam arrived we donned our rubber gloves, chained Compton in silver and threw him into the back of the van. Pam had never been a fan of Compton's on the few occasions they had met, so although she never normally liked to get her hands dirty, she was willing to help on this occasion.

After depositing Compton in the basement, I changed and replied to some emails. I also asked Cataliades to do further research on Miss Stackhouse, trusting him with the task rather than Burnham as the latter had the subtlety of a sledgehammer, and I didn't want anyone to realise I was asking questions about her.

It was three days later that I heard back from my lawyer, and what he had discovered made interesting reading.

It appeared that Miss Stackhouse was predominantly a recluse in the town, and known for being a little strange. No one would say exactly why she was deemed 'crazy', but it seems that she wasn't trusted and people had always thought her odd. She did, however, have two close friends, one of whom was the daughter of wealthy New Orleans businessman Copley Carmichael. It also turns out that Miss Broadway (who takes her dead mother's maiden name) is an amateur witch.

What was most interesting to learn, however, was her dating history. It seemed that she had dated no men at all in Bon Temps, which surprised me since she was obviously beautiful, and the one man she had dated was the werewolf, Alcide Herveaux. As soon as I learnt that piece of information I called him and requested he came to meet me at the bar.

"The wolf, Eric," Pam said in a flat tone as she showed him into my office.

"Herveaux," I greeted him with a nod.

"Northman." He took the chair the other side of the desk from me. "What can I do for you? You said it was urgent."

"What do you know about Sookie Stackhouse?"

His face dropped. "What do you want with her? Leave her alone, Eric."

I stood up quickly, my chair crashing back into the wall and I stood looming over him. "You will answer me," I hissed at him, fangs bared.

"What do you want to know? She's sweet, innocent and normal. She doesn't need to get involved with all this shit." By that I knew he was referring to the 'supernatural shit'. "She never knew anything about me. She's hot and smart, but she's also trusting and virtuous. That's a rarity in these times."

He was probably right there.

I walked back around the desk, sank into my large leather chair and put my feet on the table, crossed at the ankles. I could see that Herveaux was itching to ask why I was interested in her, but he knew better than to ask. Unlike Compton.

"There is something different about her, and I cannot work out what."

"You mean you haven't glamoured her yet?" he had genuine surprise in his voice.

"I have tried. She cannot be glamoured."

His face dropped; he knew how dangerous the situation was for his ex-girlfriend. "Leave her be, Eric. She doesn't need to know anything. She may be smart but she is trusting and wouldn't even think that there was anything supernatural in this world."

That wasn't an option. "You won't mention our conversation to her. If you do, not only will she be killed, but your father, mother and sister. Do not cross me." He knew better than to argue back.

"Of course."

"Good. Now go."

The wolf got up and quickly left the room, to be replaced by Pam a few seconds later.

"You should open a window; it stinks of wet dog in here."

I ignored her snarky comment. "He knows nothing about her, and she didn't know anything about him."

"So, what now?"

"We wait, Cataliades is still researching further, and I need to be certain that if something happens to Miss Stackhouse it is her brother that obtains the land. I am sure we will see the lovely Miss Stackhouse again."

It was two weeks later that I finally decided to let Compton out. I'd been tempted to leave him longer, but I'd been sent some sample bottles of 'True Blood', and Compton seemed the ideal vampire to try them out on.

It was my glamoured human Ginger that let him out of his coffin, and he immediately went for her. But I got to him first and pinned him to the wall.

"Ah, ah, ah." I scolded. "You will not feed from my human staff. I should have you locked back up for even trying."

He looked pathetic, paler than usual and with dark circles underneath his rancid eyes. "I need to feed."

"On the table."

He looked over at the table to see a four pack of the bottled blood. "What the fuck is that?"

"True Blood. It's a Japanese-made synthetic blood. It could be the way forward." I leaned against the wall and raised an eyebrow. He knew I would never choose to drink the stuff, and no self-respective vampire would. But then this was Bill Compton we were talking about.

"I'm not drinking that."

I stood up straight. "Fine. How many more weeks do you want to be in that coffin?"

He scowled at me briefly before remembering his place. "Fine."

I leaned back against the wall and watched him pick up the bottle, open it and sniff. I let him drink the first one before pointing out that it was apparently better if you microwaved the bottle for fifteen seconds. He did that on the remaining bottles and I waited for his verdict.

"They are drinkable, although I can't say I would choose to drink them over human blood. Why do you have them?"

"You're questioning me again? I'd of thought you may have learned your lesson by now on that one."

"Sorry, sheriff," he bowed his head. "I was just interested to know why they have made synthetic blood."

I took an unnecessary breath and picked up one of Compton's discarded bottles, sniffing it, before putting it back down. "We are a growing population. It is an alternative to drinking humans and less risky."

What I wasn't going to tell him was that the council had been talking about vampires making themselves known to humans. There would be advantages certainly, but there were real concerns over how Average Joe would take the news that the humans were not the highest predator on the planet. And, particularly in the South, there were concerns that the religious right would not take well to the knowledge that vampires existed. Although, I was looking forward to proving that crucifixes and holy crosses meant very little to me.

"Does it come in different flavours?" Compton asked.

"They are being developed, yes. They are producing different blood types, and there are also brands that blend human blood with synthetic blood. But anyway, enough of this. You will stay in the bar tonight so I can keep an eye on you, and I don't need to tell you that you should not be biting anyone."

My warning tone was obvious even to him.

"Yes, sheriff."

I went back into my office to work on some paperwork before going back out into the bar. I had a chair on a raised platform that I used to keep an eye on those in the club, but I knew all too well that many of the human women (and men) attended my club with the hope of bedding me. And, quite simply, a lot did get that pleasure, although they never quite got to remember all of it. I allowed them to keep just enough memory to mean that they came back and said good things about the club, but not to remember any more.

I was ignoring the vermin, as Pam so aptly called the humans, and texting an old associate on my phone when I noticed Pam's interest spike. As soon as she came in to the club I understood why. Sookie Stackhouse was in attendance with three of her friends. She ordered a drink while Pam came up next to me.

"An unexpected bonus," I said to her in Swedish.

"Quite. And she looks quite delicious."

"You will keep your fangs off her," I hissed at her. I didn't quite go as far to command her, but it was close.

"Of course, Master."

Her male, and obviously gay, friend exclaimed when he saw me, and Sookie turned to me as well. She looked exquisite, delicious, in fact. She was poured into a tight red dress that showed off her womanly curves, and her hair was down and curled over her shoulders. I found that I had a strange want to run my fingers through her hair. I wanted her, yet she was the only one in the room that I couldn't glamour.

I spoke to Pam. "Glamour her friends and get them to drive home without her. I want some alone time with Miss Stackhouse."

Pam nodded once and headed to the dance floor where her friends were headed, but I noticed that of all the vampires to approach Sookie, it was Compton that was talking to her. And that, I was not going to allow. I could see that she wanted to get away from him, and when she did try to move, he grabbed her upper arm and held her in place.

I heard her wince in pain, and quicker than I should have, I moved to them and commanded Compton to let her go. Except the idiot obviously hadn't learned a thing, as he tried to take ownership of her. Sookie, however, proved her feistiness and told him that she was not his, and also not to trespass on her land. I found myself liking her more and more by the minute, and the fact that she could see straight through Compton was a bonus for her.

I invited her to my table while Pam glamoured her friends into leaving. I still couldn't make her out. There was definitely something inhuman about her, and I knew she was hiding something, but whatever it was, she seemed intent on keeping it hidden.

What I hadn't expected was her tears when she realised her friends had left her. She seemed such a strong woman, but I supposed that it only went so far. I led her through the back of the club and into my office and sat her down on the large black leather sofa.

"May I call you Sookie?" I asked her once I was sat on a chair in front of her.

"Sure," she agreed.

"Then you can call me Eric."

"Okay."

"But what I want to know, Sookie, is what exactly are you?"

"What do you mean?" she frowned at me, and I could see she was regaining her composure, the shock of her friends leaving not so important to her any more.

"Sookie, I know there is something you are not telling me." I was beginning to lose my patience with this human.

"Why should I?" she asked incredulously. "I know nothing of you, why should I tell you anything about myself?"

"Because, Miss Stackhouse," I said through gritted teeth, my voice louder than before. "I want to know what you are!" I locked onto her eyes and made one last attempt to glamour her, boring at her brain and giving it everything I had.

"Will you stop doing that!" She looked away and pinched her fingers to the bridge of her nose. "You are giving me a headache."

I was quite simply stunned. Not only could she not be glamoured, but she could feel me trying to glamour her. She stood up and picked up her small black purse.

"If you don't mind, I'm going to leave and get a cab back to Bon Temps."

She made an attempt to walk past me, but I moved speedily to stand in front of her so she walked straight into me.

"How the hell did you move so fast?" she asked, trying to find a way past me.

I took hold of her waist, picked her up with ease and deposited her back on the sofa, moving back to the chair I had vacated. "You are not going anywhere until you tell me what you are." In truth, she wasn't going anywhere anyway, but she didn't have to know that.

"What am I?" she questioned rhetorically with acid in her voice. "How about what are you?"

She crossed her arms defiantly in front of her chest and glared at me. I had probably slipped up in moving a little fast around her, but other than that she had no real reason to ask that. Herveaux had told me that she didn't know of the supernatural world.

"What am I?" I repeated back to her, an eyebrow raised in challenge.

"I was asking you."

"And why would you ask me that?"

"Because," she said childishly.

"Because?"

She huffed. "What were you doing earlier? Were you trying to read my mind or something? Is that what the headache was?"

Read her mind? Interesting. "No."

"Oh my god! I've felt that before," she was more talking to herself than me, but looked back to me. "You're not the first person to do that to me. Mr Compton, your associate, whatever the hell she's called."

"Pamela."

"Yeah, her. What the hell were you doing to me?"

She was definitely not leaving the club alive anyway, so there didn't seem to be any harm in indulging her. At least that way she may give up her own secrets.

"I was trying to influence your decision." I leaned back slightly as I regarded her. I had never had this kind of conversation with a human before.

"Mind control?" Strangely, she didn't seem too surprised at the concept.

"A form of, yes. We call it glamouring."

"Who is we?"

I smiled at her. "Myself, Pamela, Bill Compton." I listed the three vampires that had attempted to glamour her.

She swallowed audibly, and I could smell her fear. She was beginning to realise how dire a situation she was in.

"The man who served me at the bar as well?"

This surprised me. Longshadow had not tried to glamour her, but she had picked him up as other. "Why do you say that?"

"You … you have a glow." She didn't meet my eyes.

She could see that? She definitely could not be human. "A glow?" I asked innocently.

"Yes, I didn't notice in your office because you were covered up, but now…" her eyes ran down my body and across my chest and arms. I could detect the faint smell of her arousal, and I couldn't resist a slight smile.

"So," I summarised in a soft tone, "you can see a glow, you cannot be glamoured but can sense when we are doing so; care to tell me what you are?"

"I am nothing, I …"

I stood up angrily, the chair hurtling into a wall and my fangs slipping down into place. I placed a hand on her chest to pin her into the sofa.

"You will tell me!"

Her eyes were wide with fear and she was staring at my mouth. "You have fangs."

"Yes," I growled. "Tell me what you are."

"What are you?" She was completely ignoring my questions of her.

"Miss Stackhouse, you are trying my patience."

"Are you a vampire?" It was obvious she didn't quite believe what she was asking.

"I will warn you one last time. If you do not tell me now I will drain every drop of blood from your body, and I can assure you that I will not make it pleasant for you!" I was almost shaking with the effort to control my anger.

She swallowed once more, tears in her eyes and this time from fear. "I'm a telepath," she whispered. It was loud enough for me to hear, but I wanted her to confirm it.

"What?"

"I'm a telepath," she said louder.

"You can hear my thoughts?" I yelled at her, my face only a few inches from hers.

"No!" she sobbed. "I can't hear you, or Pamela, or Mr Compton."

I forced myself to take a few steps back from her. Her tears smelled delicious, and it was all I could do to not lean forward and taste her.

"You can hear humans, though?"

"Yes, although some more than others."

"What about Herveaux?" I moved to stand on the opposite side of the room from her, and I watched her expression become curious.

"How do you know who I dated?"

"I asked you a question."

"And I'm guessing that you're going to kill me anyway, so tell me how you know I dated Alcide."

She had guts, I had to give her that. But she had probably managed to say the one thing that may save her own life. A telepath in one's retinue would be invaluable, and my mind instantly went to Compton and whether she was the reason he had been sniffing around.

I let out an unneeded breath, picked up the chair and went to resume my position in from of her. "I have done my research, Miss Stackhouse, the people in your town are all too willing to talk about you."

"Oh. You know him?"

"Yes." I didn't expand further. "So care to tell me whether you could hear him or not?"

"For the most part, I couldn't. Over time I've got better at blocking out peoples thoughts, but with Alcide the most I ever really got from him was the odd phrase here are there or his emotions." She speared to think more about it, and her face dropped. "Oh god, you're going to tell me he's something as well!"

She was smart, I had to give her that. "Your ex-boyfriend is a werewolf. He has worked for me on occasion."

She looked stunned. "A werewolf? Fuck."

I heard Pam hover outside the door and I called for her to come in. "She's still alive and you haven't fucked her?" she asked in Swedish, her accent as horrible as normal.

"She is a telepath. She cannot read vampires, and weres are hazy, but she can read humans."

"Unexpected."

"Quite."

"You're not going to kill her then."

I was undecided, but in reality that would depend on Miss Stackhouse. "Not now."

I turned back to Sookie who had been watching our exchange with interest. "Miss Stackhouse, I believe you have not formally been introduced to my child Pam."

"Charmed," Pam said in her usual bored tone.

"Child?" Sookie queried.

"I made her vampire."

"You killed her?"

"Some may see it that way, Pam wouldn't."

Pam grinned beside me and lowered her fangs. "Oh no, I was born for this. If I had stayed in Victorian London I would have been married off to some bore and forced to have children and play the happy housewife. I would have hated it." I was surprised at Pam, she was not normally this forthcoming.

"Victorian London? That would make you over a hundred years old?"

"I was made vampire in Eighteen-forty."

"Wow."

Her eyes shot back to me, and I could see that the question was on her lips. "I am over a thousand years old. Which makes me the most powerful thing around here." The foreboding in my statement didn't go missed and she shrank back into the sofa. I stood up and walked to the sofa.

"Are you going to kill me?" she asked with a whisper.

"I was going to. Now I am not so sure."

"Because I told you that I'm a telepath?"

"A telepath would be a very useful asset."

"I will not be a fucking asset to you!" she spat at me, making the effort to stand up, although she was a foot shorter than me and a lot smaller. "You may as well kill me, because you can go to hell if you think that. I can assure you that I will not be your slave!"

In a split second I pinned her to the sofa, my weight on her and her two hands in one of mine above her head. My fangs were fully down and I ran my nose along her neck. She really did smell delicious, and I was looking forward to draining her.

"Eric!"

I turned to see Pam still stood there with her arms crossed. She was telling me not do anything rash, and I knew that she was right. This human was infuriating and fearless, and if she wasn't going to work for me it would be a lot less hassle to kill her now. But I had another night before I had to make any decision; before anyone would notice she was missing.

Sookie's eyes were wide and she had tears leaking from them. I could no longer resist tasting them, and ran my tongue along her wet face. She flinched away, but I moaned with pleasure. She was delicious. Even close up she was still so beautiful, where many women weren't, and she looked much younger than her thirty-one years. The fact was that I wanted her.

I climbed off the sofa and stood up straight. "Miss Stackhouse, you will be coming with me. You and I need to talk further, and this is not the place. Now, you have two options, the easy way, or the hard way. And I can assure you, that you will not like the hard way."

She wiped her tears from her face and stood up warily. "Good girl. Your phone please?"

I held out my hand to her and waited until she put the small black Nokia device into my palm. I turned the device off and placed it in my desk drawer. If she was going to be compliant I would give it back to her, but I would also take the time to check her phone and plant a tracking device if necessary.

I led her out the back of the club and to my Corvette, waiting until she had done her seatbelt up before I took off in the direction of one of my lesser used homes. The one I was taking her to had a large underground floor and included a separate suite where I could keep Sookie until first dark. I told her to take a tie from out of the glove compartment and wrap it around her head as a blindfold so she wouldn't know where we were going, something she seemed quite compliant to do.

Once we were at my home, I led her out of the car and into the house. I'd made a call to a trusted were to pick up some human food and clothes for her – Pam guessing the sizes – and it had been left as requested on the doorstep. She was completely silent as I led her into the underground lair and showed her to her suite.

"Here is some food and a change of clothes. You have a small kitchen and bathroom here, but do not attempt to leave, it will not be possible."

She stared at me briefly with her intense blue eyes on mine. "I'm a prisoner?"

"That will depend on you. It is late and you are tired. I have some calls to make, so I will bid you goodnight. We will talk further tomorrow, and I suggest you think about what you want."

I left the room with her looking small and scared in the centre of it, and locked the door behind me. I sat down at my laptop momentarily before calling Pam.

"You're getting soft," she accused.

"No, I'm not. But if she is going to work for me she has to do it willingly and I have to know she can be trusted. That is not something I will take lightly. She could be very useful, even more so when vampires make themselves known."

"True. What about Compton?" Pam had obviously come to the same conclusion as me.

"Find a reason to bring him back in. I want him where I know he will be, and preferably chained in silver. He is up to something, and I suspect that he may know of Miss Stackhouse's telepathy. I will question her tomorrow as to whether anyone else knows of her."

I hung up on Pam and completed a few hours of taxes before the pull of the morning hit me. I checked once on my guest to see her asleep and curled up in a small ball underneath the covers. In all honesty, I didn't know what to make of her, and this was not a situation I enjoyed or welcomed. I had survived this long by always seeing every option, and this was unexpected.

I stripped down and climbed into my huge bed for the night, my last thoughts being of the human in the room next to mine.

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**Sookie again next, and we'll find out her reaction to everything she had learned.**

**I'd love to know your thoughts and comments.**

**~drumbjo.  
**


	3. Chapter 3

I'm reposting this as FF appears to have gone loopy!

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**Sorry about the update failure this week - I promise to be better!**

**This chapter is mostly conversation, hope it's okay!  
**

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**Sookie**

I woke up to an almost pitch dark room, but there was a small night-light in one corner that created an eerie glow and a luminous alarm clock by the side of the huge bed I appeared to be laying on. It took me a moment to work out where the hell I was, but it suddenly hit me that I was being held captive. And by a vampire, no less.

I pulled the covers over my head and tried to sink into the mattress. This was ridiculous. How could I be in this position? Only a day earlier I had no idea of the existence of vampires and werewolves or anything supernatural, and now I had found out the man who been trying to buy my land from me was a vampire with the power of mind control, and that my ex-boyfriend had been a werewolf.

I didn't know what to think. Alcide and I had dated for nearly four years, and in all that time, he had never once brought up the fact that he turned into a wolf each full moon. But then we never had lived together full time, and his schedule had always been quite erratic with him working nights on occasions. Now I thought about it, he probably didn't work at all. He was probably just running around in the woods.

Mr Northman seemed to suggest that him being a werewolf was the reason that I couldn't 'hear' him as well as others. So did that mean that Amelia's boyfriend Tray was also a werewolf? Did Amelia know about him? And what about Sam Merlotte? This really seemed a bit too much to take in.

But how could Alcide not tell me about himself? Wasn't the fact that he turned into a wolf an important thing to tell your long-term girlfriend? It led me to think about the reason we broke up. We were still on fairly good terms, but it seemed very out of the blue when we split up, and almost immediately, he had started dating some skank by the name of Debbie Pelt. I'd struggled to read her, so no doubt she was a werewolf as well.

He had denied that he had cheated on me, but I remembered thinking at the time that he seemed almost duty-bound to be with this woman. Now I thought about it, did he have to be with her to carry on the werewolf line? I didn't even want to think about that. In his world, I obviously wasn't good enough for him, as I didn't howl at the moon.

This really was batshit crazy.

But I realised that I couldn't really be too annoyed with Alcide for not telling me anything when I hadn't been entirely truthful about my telepathy. Gran had always known about me, since she'd taken me in at only seven years old when my parents died, and I think Jason knows but chooses to ignore it. Other than that, Amelia and Tara are the only ones that know. I'd considered telling Alcide on countless occasions, but had never quite found the right one.

And then there was the vampire who was keeping me captive. The dead man, who had been 'alive' for over a thousand years. That just seemed insane. I couldn't even comprehend what a thousand years must be like. A thousand years would be fifty-two thousand weeks, three hundred and sixty-four thousand days. That was just too much.

The night before when he had attacked me, I really assumed that I was going to be killed. But was the option of being held captive by this creature any better? I hated the idea that I would be 'invaluable' to him, and he would use me for my telepathy. I had to admit that I had always considered my telepathy a curse, so the thought of someone wanting to use me for that reason was a strange one to process.

I sighed deeply and peered out from underneath the duvet to see that it was one-fifteen in the afternoon. I had been tired, and despite being shit-scared the night before, I did manage to get to sleep and I'd obviously needed it. That could only be a good thing, because if I wanted to get out of this alive I needed to have my wits about me.

I'd slept in my clothes, but remembered that the vampire had given me some new clothes for me to wear, along with a bag of food. I had no idea whether the sizing would be right, or even how he got such things delivered for me so quickly, as he couldn't have known that he was going to keep me in his house.

I climbed out of the huge bed in the direction of the light in the corner, and found a switch that turned all the lights on in the suite. He'd shown me the night before that I had a bathroom and kitchen to myself, and I was grateful at least he had the forethought that I had human needs that had to be attended to.

I opened up the bags the vampire had given me to find one filled with clothes: jeans, underwear, a red t-shirt and black flats. What worried me was that they all seemed to be in the right size. Even the underwear. He had also provided top of the range shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, toothbrush and paste, along with some moisturiser, cleanser and make-up and even a razor.

I picked up the bag and moved it to the bathroom, which was larger than my one at home and tiled in large dark grey tiles. It was masculine and clean, and the walk-in shower was absolutely huge. It definitely seemed to be built to Mr Northman's specification, but given that this seemed to be the guest suite, it did seem odd. I could only imagine that he had a room elsewhere. At least there didn't seem to be any evidence of sleeping in coffins as this whole floor was underground. The very thought of vampires still being real sent shivers down my spine, but I had to try and keep on top of all this. At least until I was out of this place.

I went into the kitchen where I had deposited the food the night before after placing the fresh items in the fridge. He'd provided me with the basic needs, and there was certainly enough to make myself some breakfast, although I assumed it would have to be lunch as I had slept so late.

Once I'd managed to get it going, I took a hot and restoring shower, taking the time to wash and condition my hair. As the products had been bought for me, I took the time to moisturise and apply a little light make-up. On closer inspection, all the clothes were designer and no doubt cost a fortune. I then went and made myself a turkey salad sandwich, opening a large bag of chips and guzzling down a large glass of orange juice. I'd been hungrier than I thought.

I went back into the bedroom and sat down in the centre with my back against the headboard. The clock to the side said that it was now two-twenty, although in reality I had no idea whether it was accurate or not. But, assuming it was correct, by my reckoning, I probably had two and a half hours until sunset as darkness usually hit by five in November.

I tried to clear my head so I could think properly. I had to think logically.

This all started with Mr Northman contacting me about the land. I was already aware that he was willing to pay over the odds for the land, and he was obviously intent on brainwashing me into selling it to him. Except that I couldn't be 'glamoured', or whatever the hell they called it, and if it hadn't been for my telepathy he would no doubt have killed me then and there.

So the question was, what is so important about the land that he was willing to pay excessively or even kill me over?

And then there is the issue of my telepathy. Obviously, this is something that he would value, and he would consider me 'useful'. Could I work for him? Could I agree to be an asset to him? I didn't know, and with not knowing exactly what that would involve, I wasn't sure if I could do it. Would I be free? Would I be able to live my own life but work for him as a telepath as and when he needed me to?

I was so confused, and as the minutes passed I felt more and more scared. I was scared for my life, and even if I did survive past the night I knew that my life was irrevocably changed for good. I couldn't be glamoured, and I no doubt knew too much of the supernatural world, what did that mean for me.

I had no idea what to expect from Mr Northman. He was obviously a powerful man, and I got the feeling that he had some kind of position in vampire society, and probably due to his age. He was obviously very wealthy, although I could only imagine that he'd had a lot of experience in obtaining assets.

But the questions were, what did he want with my land, and what did he want with me?

Despite my fear, I somehow managed to fall asleep again, as when I woke it was four-thirty, meaning I had around half an hour before the vampire would wake up. Except that I didn't have to wait that long.

"You're awake," the vampire commented, and I looked up to see him stood in the doorway to my room.

"Is it sunset?" I asked him, feeling exposed laid on the bed with him stood there. I pulled the covers up over me in an attempt to shield myself from him.

"No, but I am old and wake before the sun is down. I have been up for half an hour."

"Can you wake during the day?" I asked, feeling curious.

"If my life depended on it," he said nonchalantly. He stood up straight and took a large step inside the room, his eyes on me the whole time. "You were … comfortable?"

It seemed as if caring about anyone other than himself was an alien concept to him.

"Yes, fine. Thank you."

"You have thought about your situation." It was more of a command than a question.

"Yes, and I have some questions."

"I am not used to being questioned," he said in a loud voice that filled the room. It wasn't an angry statement, but this was obviously a new situation for him. "Particularly by humans."

I imagined not. "Will you answer them?"

"That depends on what you are asking."

I sighed, and moved out from underneath the covers, and sat cross-legged on one side of the large bed so he had room to sit down if he wished to. He regarded me, but remained standing still where he was.

"I'd like to know why you want the land."

"Why?"

"Because you were willing to pay me over the odds for it, because you were willing to manipulate me for it. To kill me for it. I'd like to know what I was going to be killed for." I was hoping that my use of the past tense would still be the case.

"I can't tell you that." His face held no emotion so I had no way of knowing what he was thinking.

"Can't or won't," I accused.

"Both."

I huffed, it seemed very unlikely this vampire would tell me anything. I tried a different angle. "Okay. So, you didn't kill me yesterday because I am a telepath, right?"

"Correct."

"And if I agreed to work for you, what would that involve."

"I said nothing about working for me." His voice was still ice cold and his stance rigid, with his strongly muscled arms crossed against his equally muscled chest. I berated myself for ogling him.

"Yes, you did!" I argued.

"No, I said a telepath would be a useful asset. I did not say you would work for me."

"They are one and the same." I could feel myself getting angry with him despite the dire situation I was in.

"No."

"What the hell do you mean, 'no'?" I yelled at him. In a split second, he was in front of me, his fangs down and a deep growl emanating from him that was filling the room.

"You will watch how you talk to me, human!"

I swallowed audibly, and noticed that I was shaking; fear coursing through my veins. He was only a few inches away from me, and his eyes were intense, the pale blue boring into me. I did everything I could to try to find my voice and some confidence from somewhere deep inside me.

"Please," I whispered, "if you're going to kill me, just do it."

I shut my eyes tightly, and waited tensely for some kind of response from him, whether verbal or physical. I felt the bed move, opening one eye to see that Eric had backed off from me. I let out a brief sigh of relief, but I knew I wasn't out of the woods yet.

"I am not used to humans I cannot glamour," he explained after a few moments of silence. "Although I suspect that you are not wholly human."

"I'm sorry, what?" Why was he saying I wasn't human.

He was watching me closely and then let out an unnecessary sigh. He moved to sit on the edge of the bed. "Sookie, do you know of anything unusual in your family?"

"No! Why would there be? Why do you even think I am not totally human?"

"You smell much sweeter than most humans."

"I smell good to you?" I didn't like the sound of that.

"Very," he said with a smile on his lips, he licked his lips, whether consciously or not, I didn't know.

"Are you going to bite me?"

"Are you offering?" His voice was almost a purr.

I swallowed, not knowing what the correct answer would be. He leaned back, resting his weight on his arms behind him.

"I do not wish to kill you," he started. "But you cannot be glamoured and therefore you must be seen as a threat to me. My kind have remained hidden for many thousands of years, our glamour being the principal means of stopping humans from disclosing what we are. Other than killing them, that is." He gave me a smile that was more than a little sinister.

"There are other beings in this world as well." It was a statement rather than a question.

"Yes."

"Like werewolves." It still seemed incredible that my ex-boyfriend was a werewolf.

"Yes, among others."

"Others?"

"Shifters, demons, elves, witches, dwarfs, fairies…" he trailed off.

"And they have all remained hidden from humans?" It seemed unreal that there could be so much else in the world, but no one knowing about it.

"Humans dominate this planet, they always have done. For a vampire, they are food, so they have had to stay unaware of us. Other species' prefer to remain hidden. Some have their own worlds and do not enter this realm often."

This was beginning to get too much to take in. "And what do you think I am?"

"I cannot be sure without tasting you." His voice was a liquid purr.

I didn't know what to do. Should I let him bite me? I had a feeling he probably would anyway, and I could only assume that it would be better for me if I allowed him to do it on my terms.

"Okay."

"Okay?" he seemed surprised, an eyebrow raised.

"You can bite me. But please don't kill me."

His fangs slid down further into place and I couldn't keep my eyes off him. "I only need a sip."

I felt all of a sudden very nervous, and my mouth was suddenly parched. "Will it hurt?"

He moved closer to me. "Only if I want it to. It can also be immensely _pleasurable_." He'd elongated the word and his voice was suddenly dripping with sex. "Just relax," he commanded gently.

I swallowed, nervously, and watched him, my breath held as he moved closer to me. I had noticed the day before when he had pinned me to the sofa how large and muscled he was, but had been too scared to really spend any time thinking about it. Now it was almost impossible to miss.

He ran his hand down my arm and I shivered involuntarily. It was partly from the coolness of his skin, but also from the situation itself. He wrapped his left arm around my lower back to support me, and I could see the muscles of his shoulders tensing and contracting as he moved.

"This won't hurt," he whispered into my neck, his cool breath no doubt causing gooseflesh. He sniffed once along my neck, the tip of his nose brushing along my neck, before he placed a long lick along my jugular. I heard his whisper something in a language I didn't understand or recognise, and then I felt his fangs slip seamlessly into my skin.

I jumped slightly, an automatic response to being bitten, but he tightened his grip on me and pulled me tight into his chest. He pulled at the wound, and an immense desire swept through me. He was right when he said it was pleasurable, as I wasn't sure I could remember a more sensual experience.

I couldn't help but moan at the sensation of him drinking from me, and I found myself clinging tightly onto him in an attempt to keep him there. At the moment I easily would have given him every drop.

He took one more pull at the wound before carefully retracting his fangs, but keeping me tight in his arms. He licked my neck, no doubt to capture any spilled drops of blood, before gently licking at the wound with the tip of his tongue. I felt a strange tickling sensation at the spot, and I moved my hand instinctively to the spot to find no evidence of the bite mark. I gave him a querying look.

"I healed your wound. I can't have you walking around with bite marks visible."

That, at least, gave me an impression that he would release me.

"So? What am I?"

"I would say you are part Fae." He licked his lips.

"Fae?"

"Fairy."

"As in Tinker Bell?"

He sighed and pulled back from me. "J. M. Barrie's work is pure fiction. Fairies are a vicious yet very tasty race. They are secretive and powerful. I would say from your blood that you are one quarter or one eighth Fae."

"You had to taste my blood to know that?"

He gave a wry smile. "I suspected you were part-Fae, but this has confirmed it. You taste delicious, however. I suggest that you don't go around offering yourself to vampires. Not all have my restraint and may not stop."

This was an awful lot to take in, and I really didn't know what the hell to do or even think. "What does all this mean?" I asked him, not really sure if he could provide me with any semblance of an answer.

He didn't say anything for a moment, but then asked me a question. "The land that you hold … Why will you not sell it?"

I hadn't expected him to ask that. He wouldn't tell me why he wanted it, so I wasn't sure whether to tell him or not. "Will you tell me why you want it?"

He regarded me, a low growl emanating from his chest. "Tell me."

I obviously wasn't going to get anything out of him, but as I knew I wouldn't change my mind on that matter so I saw no reason why I couldn't tell him. "It was my Gran's request that it wasn't sold. In truth, I don't know much about the land, but its somewhere she used to take me when I was younger, and it always became a favourite place of mine."

"You are … happy there?"

"Yes. I always was, it calmed me."

"Do you know where your Gran got the land from?"

"No. What do you know about it?"

"I know that I want it."

He obviously wasn't going to give me any more than that, and considering his earlier growl, it seemed sensible not to push him.

"What's with Bill Compton?" I asked him in an attempt to change the subject. He gave me a querying look.

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, the night I met you I found him creeping around my property, and then in your bar he declared that I was 'his', which is completely ridiculous."

"Who else knows of your telepathy?" he asked. I couldn't quite see the relevance of his question.

"My friends Tara and Amelia, my …" I trailed off as a thought hit me. "Did you glamour my friends into leaving?" I asked him, feeling annoyed and already knowing his answer.

"Pam did it, yes."

"Why?" I demanded.

"I wanted you alone. You were telling me who else knows of your telepathy."

I was furious that he would do that. "How could you do that?"

"I just told you."

"No, you told me why you did it. You didn't say how you could do it."

"I do not see the relevance of your question. I wanted you alone, so I made sure your friends left without you."

He made it seem so simple. "You don't have a moral bone in your body!" I spat at him.

I should have expected it, but almost instantly I found that I was pinned to the bed, the vampire's fangs bared as he leaned over me. "I should drain you, instantly for your contumaciousness," he hissed at me, a look of pure fury in his eyes.

"Well if you're going to do it, just do so!"

He moved forward briefly before growling and disappearing off the bed. I moved to sit up and saw that he was again stood at the door. "You should not goad an angry vampire, Miss Stackhouse. I have told you that I do not wish to kill you, but that does not mean I won't."

"Okay," I said in a small voice.

I mentally slapped myself for pushing him. I was a prisoner here, and no means of escape. Pissing him off was not going to help me, no matter how angry I was with him about making Tara and Amelia leave without me. Vampires were obviously very used to taking what they wanted, and I didn't doubt that meeting a human who couldn't be glamoured was very different for him. "Sorry."

"Carry on," he said with a wave of his hand.

"Um … the only other people who know about my telepathy are my brother Jason, although he chooses to ignore it, and my cousin Hadley, although I haven't seen her for years."

"Hadley?" he seemed surprised.

"Yes, we were close as kids, but I don't know what has become of her since. Do you know her?"

"She is vampire."

"What?" I spluttered.

"She is vampire," he repeated as if I hadn't heard him.

"My cousin is a vampire? How do you know it is her and not some other Hadley?"

"It makes sense that it is her." It didn't to me.

"And this has what to do with Bill Compton?"

"I had suspicions that he was here for a reason. There seemed no reason for him to move back to Bon Temps. You said he tried to glamour you?"

"Yes, as soon as I met him."

"I was right."

"About what?"

"That he came here for you. He must have known about your telepathy and was sent here to procure you."

"To procure me? Are you serious?"

"Quite."

"Oh god." I sank my head into my hands. This was becoming far too much. Not only did I have this vampire telling me I would be a useful asset, but I had another who had been sent to take me somewhere because my stupid cousin could not keep her mouth shut. "I don't want to be procured by anyone. I am my own woman, I've been successful! I will not be kidnapped and held against my will. I have rights!" I was yelling by the end of my rant.

"Miss Stackhouse, you will watch what you are saying." His voice was deathly cold.

"No! Why should I? How dare any of you keep me against my will! I want to go home, I don't want any of this shit!"

I stood up and tried to walk past him to the door, but he simply picked me up and placed me back on the edge of the bed. He knelt down in front of me.

"That is no longer an option. Your cousin's maker is the Queen of Louisiana. She is the most powerful vampire in the state. She can and will take you if she wants to."

I didn't want this. I didn't want any of this. I only wanted a normal life where I could do normal human things. Now, it seemed, that was no longer an option.

"Are you going to tell her you have me?"

He gave me a querying look. "No. At least not yet."

"Are you going to let me go?" My voice was just a whisper.

He narrowed his eyes. "That depends, Miss Stackhouse. I have to be able to trust you. I have to know that you will not run to the authorities and disclose what you know. I must also know that you will not leave this area."

"I won't." It was true, I wouldn't.

He leaned back on his haunches. "I will need a guarantee. I want for you to take my blood."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You will take my blood. It will form a kind of blood bond between us, and I will be able to know whether you are telling me the truth. It will also mean that I can find you should you decide to leave."

"You want me to take your blood?" I repeated, feeling more than a little repulsed by the idea.

"It is a requirement if you wish to leave here."

He wasn't giving me a choice, but I needed to know more. "What else will it mean? Are there side effects? Does it last?"

"You will be stronger and have better senses for a few days." He stopped to smile. "You are also likely to have dreams about me, to feel more attracted to me." His voice was heavy and loaded again, but in all honesty, I was already attracted to him despite the situation he was holding me in. I didn't miss his use of the word 'more'. "If you do not take my blood again it will fade over time, but the connection will always be there."

"And what will it mean? I mean for me, in your world. What is a blood bond?"

He gave me a knowing smile. "You are a smart human, Miss Stackhouse, to ask that question."

He stood up and moved to sit on the bed next to me, his body facing towards me. I could not help but mirror his pose. "Why do you say that?"

"Most would not think to ask that. You must realise that vampires are very jealous of their blood, and the older they get, the more jealous they will become. They do not give it easily."

"Yet you're willing to give it to me."

"Yes."

I thought on it. He had said the day before that he would consider me an asset, and Bill Compton had tried to proclaim me as his. "It would mark me as yours," I stated.

He smiled once more. "You are correct."

"And if the Queen of Louisiana wanted me?" I prompted.

"She would not be able to take you. You would be considered mine." I sighed and looked away from him. I needed a few moments to think. Somehow knowing exactly that, Eric got up and looked down at me. "I will give you an hour. I have work to do. I will be back."

He was gone in a flash and I was left alone again with a huge amount to think about. I needed longer than an hour; I needed a week. But I didn't have that luxury.

Did I want to be tied to this vampire? Did I want to be considered his? The answer was no to both. But in the limited knowledge I had of vampires, he was certainly less creepy than Bill Compton.

But then I also didn't know whether he had been telling me the truth about Bill and Hadley. And who the hell knew there was a Queen of Louisiana? Strangely, though, his story seemed plausible, and despite the fact that I had no real knowledge of vampires, I didn't disbelieve him.

But the bottom line was that I didn't have a choice. If I wanted any semblance of a normal life, I had to accept his offer. I only hoped that I wouldn't live to regret it. I did have some more questions, however.

I got up and made myself a strong cup of coffee, pottering around until the vampire silently reappeared in the room. His presence filled the room despite the fact that he made no sound, and I couldn't help but take in his appearance. His strongly muscled arms and shoulders were on display from the black tank he was wearing, and he had a narrow waste with well-fitting jeans. I could certainly think of worse looking men to be bound to.

"You said that I would be attracted to you," I said in a small voice, feeling embarrassed. He simply raised an eyebrow. "Would you expect me to sleep with you?"

He moved, appearing at my side before my eyes could register him moving. "I would not force you to have sex with me, but I am certain you will."

I swallowed thickly. "Would you be able to influence me?"

He considered my question. "Possibly. As you are part-fairy, I cannot be sure how much power over the bond I will have. But I could only influence you in a direction you would have taken anyway. Call it like hypnotism. I could not influence you to jump from the roof. But then I see no reason why I would need to influence you." There was a slightly threatening tone to his voice, and I understood what he meant.

"What about the land?"

"What about it?"

"Um … if I do take your blood, does that mean you will be entitled to it? To everything I own?"

"No. It is not like a marriage. Vampires use a blood bond to tie a human to them. Normally, to control them or mark them as theirs. I will not be _entitled_ to anything of yours. But I still want it."

"And I'd like to know why you want it. But I already know you won't tell me."

"You are learning, Miss Stackhouse."

"I don't want to be a slave, Mr Northman. I understand that if you let me leave here I will have certain restrictions placed upon me, and I will work for you as a telepath." He nodded. "But I want to at least try to lead a normal life. I want to work, I want my own time."

He stood and contemplated for a moment before speaking. "I cannot guarantee how much freedom you can have, but I promise that I will not impose upon you more than necessary. But you must also understand that if the Queen had procured you, she would have held you in her palace with no freedom whatsoever."

"Thank you, then."

He smiled and nodded in acceptance. "You must also realise that as you will be considered mine, you will also be under my protection. If the Queen knows about you, I cannot guarantee that other vampires have not learned of your existence. I have heard of telepaths, but never met one before. You are a rare breed, and particularly in being part-Fae, something I suggest we both keep quiet. It means that I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe."

"Okay," I agreed. I wasn't about to broadcast that around if it meant I was extra tasty to vampires.

"Do you accept the terms?"

"Yes." I said, my voice not quite as strong as I intended it to be, though.

Eric moved to sit down on the centre of the bed, his back to the headboard and his long, denim-clad legs spread wide. "It will be easiest in this position. Come and sit between my legs with your back to me."

I took a deep breath, that was going to be a very intimate position, and I could already see a bulge forming in the vampire's jeans. I met his eyes to see a lusty gaze in them, and I closed my own briefly to try and get a hold of myself.

Without meeting his gaze again, I crawled onto the bed and sat in between his legs, glad that I didn't have to face him as I knew I had a deep blush on my face. He gently pulled me back so I was leaning against his hard abdomen. He ran his nose against my neck, inhaling my scent and running a finger lightly down my arm.

"You promise you will let me go after this?" I asked him.

"As long as I can be confident that you will not run to the authorities," he responded.

"I won't."

"Good. Now, I am going to bite my wrist and place it to your mouth. You will continue drinking until the wound closes."

"Okay," I whispered.

I heard the crunch of his bite as he bit his left wrist, his right arm snaking around my abdomen to keep me tight against him.

"Drink, Sookie."

* * *

***hides***

**Sorry, seemed like a good place to stop! I promise the next chapter will not take as long.**

**I'd love to know your comments, and thanks hugely to everyone who has done so far.**

**~drumbjo  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read this. And particularly thanks to those who have reviewed, or placed me on favourite or alert, considering the problems this site is having!**

**Hope you enjoy the next chapter.**

* * *

**Eric**

I held my wrist to Sookie's mouth, and although she seemed hesitant to take my blood, she tentatively moved her mouth to my wrist. She poked out her tongue at first, as if to taste the flavour, before placing her hot mouth over the wound and licking at the blood, which was sluggishly exiting the wound.

"Drink, Sookie," I commanded her, and I felt her lips latch on to my wrist and pull at the wound.

I held her tight against me, the heat of her body permeating my clothes and skin. With her second draw, she gained in confidence, holding onto my arm and seemingly enjoying it. In fact, with the start of the bond forming, I could tell that she was liking it. In addition, and even more so, I was certainly enjoying it.

I could not restrain myself from moaning, and I felt myself harden against her ass, which was between my legs. I groaned in my old language as she took one last draw on the wound before it healed. Oddly, she licked at the wound in a very vampiric way to lap up any drops of blood that she had missed.

She pulled back from me, and I let her slip out of my arms. Once she has shuffled away she turned back to me, a faint pink blush on her cheeks and a certain wildness in her eyes that came from drinking vampire blood. Her eyes met mine briefly, before she dropped hers to my lap, coming across the prominent bulge in my jeans. I could feel her embarrassment, but I also detected a brief wave of lust within her. I raised an eyebrow as she continued to stare at my groin and waited for her to meet my eyes again.

"Something interesting down there?" I queried with a smirk.

She blushed more intensely. "Does that normally happen?" she whispered.

I met her gaze and shrugged. "The last human I gave my blood to was Pam, and it happened then. Of course, once she became vampire we fucked continuously for many nights."

Her blush increased, reaching down her neck, but she held my gaze. "That will not happen." She sounded like she was convinced, but I could feel otherwise.

"You tell yourself that, Sookie, but I know that you lust for me. Remember that I can feel your emotions." I couldn't resist smirking at her and raising a challenging eyebrow.

"You never told me that!" she snarled, a jolt of anger hitting me. This was going to take some getting used to and I would need to work on blocking her when necessary. It seemed that she could be quite volatile and unpredictable with her moods.

I kept my voice cool and clinical. "I told you that I would be able to know if you are telling the truth. That means I know your emotions." She looked quite horrified. "It will fade in intensity over time," I added.

"Okay. Fine. Can I go home now?" I could feel her impatience.

"Look at me." She did as I asked. "Tell me, Sookie, do you intend on telling anyone about what we have discussed, about what you have learned about the supernatural world?"

"No." I could feel her resoluteness, but also her sincerity.

"Do you intend to leave this area?"

"No," again truthful. "This is my home; I have no reason to leave."

"Okay." I was happy that I could trust her to go. "Just know that I will always be able to find you, so do not even try to run from me."

She swallowed hard and nodded in understanding.

"What do I tell Amelia, Laffy and Tara? Will they wonder where I was?" It was a good question to ask.

"They will not remember leaving Fangtasia without you. As far as they know, you left with them. It should not be a problem for you."

She let out a sigh of relief.

"What about Bill Compton? Will he not try and capture me?" I could see that she was scared of him, and probably rightly so, but I was already on the case.

"Do not worry about Compton. I have ordered my child to bring him back to Fangtasia and I intend to keep him there." I saw her relax slightly. "Pack up your belongings, I will speak to my child and then drive you home."

I didn't give her time to answer, and simply left the room. I had to admit to being surprised that she agreed to drink from me quite so easily, but she was a smart woman and obviously realised this was her only choice. Call it the better of two evils. Thinking about it, she would probably make an excellent vampire given the chance. I filed that thought away for future consideration.

Once I got to my office, I called Pam. My child didn't rise as early as I did, but I had left her a message and reiterated my demand for Bill Compton to be in my basement as soon as possible.

"He is secure," she answered as soon as I called her.

"Good. I am taking Miss Stackhouse back to her home, so I will take the time to search his property."

"You're letting her go?" the surprise was evident in her voice.

"Yes. Are you questioning me, child?"

"No … but…"

"But what, Pamela?"

"How can you be sure that she will not disclose what she knows about us? She cannot be glamoured."

"I am quite aware of that fact. And it is why I have given her my blood." I had to tell Pam, she would have realised eventually, and certainly smelt it on Sookie.

"You've given her your blood? Eric, that's crazy!"

"You are forgetting yourself!" I hissed at her.

"I am sorry; I do not mean to question you. But have you thought about this? Why give your blood to a human?"

I was not used to explaining myself to my child, but on this occasion, I would indulge her. "There is something about her. I tasted her to confirm that she is fairy, and she must be at least one-eighth Fae, if not a quarter. Her blood is strong and potent. And more than that, I suspect that Compton was assigned here to procure her for the queen."

"Shit. How?"

"It seems the Queen's new child, Hadley, is Sookie's cousin. I can only assume she told the queen about what her cousin could do."

"The Queen will not be pleased."

"I don't care. She is in my area and she has had my blood. The bond is already in place and is forming. The Queen cannot take her from me." I was sure that Pam was itching to say something else, but she wisely kept quiet. "I will be back to deal with Compton later."

I hung up the phone and thrust it into my jeans pocket. I checked on the bond to see how strongly I could feel Sookie, and was pleased to know that our bond was strong. I felt a slight impatience from her, and, chuckling to myself, I went back to her room to find her pacing.

"You wish to leave?" I asked her, making her jump from my silent entry into the room.

"Yes. If that's okay," she added.

"Come with me. You can bring all the things bought for you. Unless you intend on coming back, that is?"

She immediately picked up the products that had been purchased for her and shoved them into one of the bags. "There is still food in the fridge…" I appreciated her thoughtfulness.

"It will be removed." She didn't need to know more than that. "Come."

I led her out of my house and towards my garage where I headed to the Corvette, opening the door for her to climb in before folding myself into the driver's seat.

"Isn't this car a bit small for you?" she asked once we were leaving the garage.

"Maybe, but it is an extension of me. And I like fast cars." To prove my point I flew down the road, going well over double the speed limit. I looked over at her to see that her eyes were closed and she had a tight grip on the seat and car door handle. I laughed at her. "Do not worry, Sookie, I do not intend on crashing."

"I'm glad to hear that, but I am a damn site more damageable than you are!"

"I would not let anything happen to you," I told her, and I surprised myself by meaning it as well.

"You must have a million speeding tickets if you drive like this!" she said with a laugh, lightening the atmosphere in the car.

"They'd have to catch me first. And anyway, I can always glamour the police officer!"

She rolled her eyes, and then frowned a little. Curiosity filled the bond. "Can you glamour weres?"

"Some," I admitted honestly. "It is much harder to glamour a were or shifter than a human."

"And you know Alcide?"

"Yes."

"You said that he had worked for you … How? I mean, what sort of work did he do?"

She really had no idea about her former boyfriend was. "How long were you with him?" I asked her, dodging her question.

"Around four years."

That surprised me. "I have used him on occasion when I have needed work done during daylight hours. A lot of vampires employ weres for muscle work during the daytime."

She looked deep in thought. "You know, a lot of this makes sense now." She paused and I waited for her to continue. "I suppose that I always wondered whether there was more to this world. Let's be honest, normal people can't hear other peoples' thoughts. In some way it's pleasing to know I'm not the only freak out there."

I slowed the car slightly so I could concentrate on her. "You are not a freak. You have a rare talent, and one which would be highly prized in my world."

She sighed. "And I get the feeling that vampires tend to take what they want?" I could feel her resignation.

"You are right, they do. As I have done. But believe me when I say you could do a lot worse than me. I will allow you your freedom as much as possible, but if I feel you are in danger I will bring you closer to me."

"I want to stay in my own home," she argued. "I will not be forced away by the likes of Bill Compton."

"I am doing this for your own safety," I said, my voice louder. "And idiots like Compton are not who you should be worried about. I have marked you as mine, Sookie. Any vampire will realise that you have had my blood, but I still would not put it past any of them to take you if they knew what you can do. A telepath is a useful asset."

"Great, so I'm an _asset_," her voice was dripping with sarcasm. "Well believe me when I say that when I was younger this was nothing but a curse. I have become better at using my shields, and I have tried not to use it for my financial gain."

That surprised me as well. I knew that if I had that kind of ability, I would certainly be using it for my own gain.

"Whether you like it or not, your life is changed now." I didn't mean to snap at her, but she needed to realise how things were going to be. "And it would have changed whether you met me or not. And in all honesty, I feel you should be grateful you did meet me. If not you would certainly be the in-house telepath for the Queen of Louisiana by now."

She felt a little shamed. "I'm sorry. I guess I should say thank you."

"I will admit that it's not solely for your own good; I am more than aware that having a telepath in my retinue will look good on me. I understand that you are between a rock and a hard place, but I am the better option."

"I'll take your word for that!" Her tone lightened the mood in the car considerably. "So, you mentioned that I can't tell the muggles about vampires and stuff, and I won't, but can I at least kick Alcide's ass for not telling me that he's a freaking werewolf?"

I chucked at her terminology, and laughed aloud at the thought of her kicking the werewolf's ass. I had a feeling that she probably would as well.

"Alcide is part of the Supe community, so I see no reason why he cannot know. Just be careful what you say, it is very likely that the wolf will not like your connection to me."

"Why?"

I smiled. "That, I cannot tell you."

I could feel that my answer only made her curiosity stronger, but I was aware that Alcide would not disclose his father's debts to her.

The rest of the journey back to Bon Temps was in a comfortable silence, but I kept track of her emotions. She was an interesting being, her emotions flitting often. I could tell that she was smart and logical, but had an almighty spirit in her.

"You know where I live," she stated as I pulled up her driveway.

"Yes. I followed you home after our meeting at my office." I stopped the car and opened the door for her to climb out.

"I don't remember seeing another car."

I smirked. "Who said I drove?"

"What? Did you fly or something?"

"Yes."

"You flew?"

"Yes."

"You can really fly?"

"Sookie, I have just said that I can."

"I know, but … wow. I mean, that vampires and werewolves are real is odd enough, but flying vampires? That's a little too much to take in."

"Says that part-fairy." I leaned down to her, inhaling her pleasant scent once more. "I must go. Pleasant dreams Sookie."

I gave her a fangy grin before climbing back into the Corvette and tearing off down her drive before she had the chance to respond to me. I knew perfectly well that because of taking my blood, she would have some very pleasant dreams, and my only regret was that I was too busy to witness her dreaming about me.

I only hoped that her dreams were as good as reality would be.

I drove the short distance round to Compton's house and entered, not needing an invitation as the house was vampire owned. I could see that some of Compton's furniture was overturned, and I could only assume that it meant there had been a struggle when Pam and Thalia came to collect him. I smiled at the thought of his face when the two of them turned up with silver chains.

I quickly searched the place, and after not too long looking, I found a folder that included many cuttings and photographs of Sookie. Someone had obviously done their research, and I took the file to use both as evidence against him as well as to read through for my own interest. I found little else of use in his house, but upon finding that his computer was password protected, I unplugged it and carried it to the trunk of my car for closer inspection. There was a young vampire living in Bossier City who had done some hacking for me in the past, and I was keen to see whether there was anything of interest on Compton's computer.

After deciding there was little else of use within Compton's shabby home, I drove back to Shreveport. I called James, the computer hacker, on my way back to Fangtasia, and was pleased to see that he was already waiting for me by the time I arrived at the bar. I instructed him to get set up while I went down to meet Pam and Thalia in the basement where Compton had already been placed in silver chains. Thalia nodded to me once as I arrived before she left leaving me with Pam.

"You can't keep me here!" Compton complained almost immediately, shaking at the chains, which were tight above his head.

"Yes, I can. I am your sheriff and I can and will do what I want while you are in my area."

"The Queen will hear of this! You have no grounds to keep me here."

"Ah, yes, the Queen. Want to tell me all about your interest in Sookie Stackhouse?" He didn't answer me, but I saw a flash of fear in his eyes. "No answer? So you weren't here to procure her, then. To take her hostage from my area."

"I don't know anything." He was a lousy liar.

"So you didn't have a folder of cuttings of Miss Stackhouse in your home?" I pulled out the book to show it to him. "I won't have you lying to me. I have impounded your computer and you will be held in silver and starved of blood until further notice."

"You can't do that!" he repeated. I got the distinct impression that there was something that Compton did not want me to see on that computer.

"Watch me."

I put on my gloves then helped Pam move him to the silver-lined coffin he'd been in before. It didn't allow the silver to touch his skin directly, but had only a thin layer of cotton separating the vampire from the silver and therefore keeping him weak. It had been quite expensive, but worth it when it came to keeping the likes of Compton out of my sight.

After gagging him, I kicked the lid shut and tightened the clasps on the outside. I chuckled to myself as I heard him struggling, but it would do very little good.

"It's well protected," James informed me once I returned to my office. "I will need some time."

"Fine. You can stay here until you have access. I will pay you well for your work."

The young vampire nodded and carried on working. I appreciated vampires that were keen to please, and this one in particular had proven to be useful in the past. All to do now was wait.

.

**Sookie**

I wake to a tapping at the window, and see that Eric is floating outside. Unperturbed by the short pink nightdress I'm wearing, I go to the window and immediately open it wide.

"Aren't you going to ask me in?" he says with a smile.

"Won't you come in, Eric."

I stand aside to let him float through the window, and he lands with the grace no man of his size should have. He's dressed in a pair of black boots, tight black leather pants that leave very little to the imagination and a black wife-beater that displays his delicious and well-defined arms and shoulders. When I reach his face there is a distinct smirk in his eyes as he realises I've been ogling him.

But his eyes are also taking me in, his gaze lingering over my barely-covered breasts and down to my legs. His fangs slide fully gracefully into place, and I can't resist stepping towards him and reaching out to run my finger along the length of one. He shudders as I do so, a look of intensity in his eyes as he closes the minimal distance between us so our chests almost touching.

He runs a finger down my arm, and although his skin is cold, I feel like his touch is burning me. "I want you, Sookie," he whispers into my ear as he brings both of his large hands onto my back and starts bunching up the material of my nightdress. "Tell me you want me to."

"I want you, Eric," I moan, lifting my arms so he can pull the material over my head.

I move my own hands to his chest, running my fingers along his pectoral muscles and up to his mostly bare shoulders. I run a hand down each arm before going for the bottom of his vest, trying desperately to remove it. When he realises what I want, the vest is shredded into pieces, and he's left stood shirtless in front of me.

He is perfect and delicious, and, not caring that I am only wearing minimal panties, I take a step back to admire him. Never had I seen a better-defined specimen of a man, and the power emanating from him almost consumes me. I have to have him; I need him.

I step towards him once more, meeting his blazing pale blue eyes while undoing the belt of his leather pants with ease. Surprisingly the pants fall to the ground quickly, but I am not concerned about how he got them off so quickly, all I care about is that they are off. And what's more, he's not wearing anything underneath.

He runs an ice-cool finger along my chest to the swell of my left breast before rubbing his thumb over my nipple and causing me to moan loudly. His other hands moves to my lower back to pull me closer to him and I feel something large sandwich between us.

"Sookie, you do this to me. I want you. You are mine."

In a flash, he has flown me over to my bed and my panties are ripped from my body so that I am completely naked. He's on top of me and my hands run over any skin I can reach as he kisses along my jawline before finally finding my eager lips. His kiss is skilled yet gentle, but it only manages to stoke the intense fire that's burning inside me for him.

He kisses further down my body, and my hands go to his long blond hair; my moaning increasing as his lips go further south. I open my legs instinctively as he reaches my core, and he settles his large body in between my legs, blowing cool air on the inside of my thighs and then inhaling my scent.

"You smell delicious; I can't wait to taste you."

With utmost precision and skill, he starts to lick and tease at my bud, his ministrations driving me wild with desire and causing a large hand to pin me to the bed. With his other hand I feel the tip of his finger beginning to tease me, until he pushes his long finger inside me and immediately finds that elusive spot.

I can't withhold my moans, and my cries fill the room as he works on me. I knew it wouldn't take long, and within minutes, I can feel that I'm close to coming.

"Come for me, Sookie. Come now!" It's a command that I cannot deny, and I come hard onto his tongue.

Not giving me any chance to recover, he leans back over me, his arms on either side of my head and his knees straddling my hips. I take the opportunity to look down and inspect him, intimidated by the sheer size of him.

"I want you," I tell him, to which he growls and moves a hand between us to line him up with my centre.

He pushes in gently, allowing me the time to get used to his size, but it doesn't hurt at all. He stills once he's all the way in, kissing down my neck while I claw at his shoulders. I move beneath him to encourage his movement, and he begins to slowly thrust his hips in a perfect rhythm, hitting that spot inside me every time and rubbing against my clit.

"Oh god!" I moan, and I feel myself get close to another orgasm. "Please bite me," I beg of him. "Please!"

I feel his smile against my neck and his fangs slowly sink into my neck…

.

I was woken by the annoying alarm of my cell phone, and I roll over to see that it's already six-thirty and time for me to get up. I roll over in bed and lie face down into the pillow, remembering all too well the dream I'd had of Eric, and feeling very unsatisfied in the knowledge that it was only a dream. With the aching I had in my loins, I was fairly certain that that dream the dream was particularly hot and steamy, and I'd no doubt woken to quite the state of arousal. Maybe I was going to have to do a little internet shopping, after all, to quench that hunger.

I'd been having dreams of Eric for the six nights since I had taken Eric's blood, but I'd hoped that given time they would begin to fade. But as last nights had been hotter than any of the others, it seemed like they were only increasing in intensity. If I hadn't been so embarrassed to admit it, I might have considered asking Eric about them, but I got the distinct impression that confessing to having such steamy dreams about him would make him insufferable.

After getting ready and making a quick breakfast, I drove the distance to Shreveport for the meetings I needed to attend. I'd been pleased that I had been able to slip so quickly and easily back into normality considering the weekend I'd had, and I relished the routine that working brought about.

At lunchtime, just as I was about to pop out for a bite to eat, my secretary called through to say that I had visitors. I looked up to see Amelia and Tara stood in the doorway of my office.

"Hey, what do I owe the pleasure of a visit from my two favourite ladies?"

They came in and took a seat without waiting for an invitation. "We just wanted to come up and say hi. Oh, and to kidnap you for the rest of the afternoon and evening!"

"Amelia, I have work to do." I gestured down at the files I had open on my desk. It was nothing urgent, but it at least looked like I was busy.

"Right, so that's why your secretary confirmed that you had nothing on this afternoon and had been considering leaving early." I was going to have words with Maudette when I had chance.

I sighed, closing down my laptop and shoving it inside my case. I knew there was little chance in successfully arguing with them, and in all honesty, I was up for a little girly action since I'd not spent much time with them the weekend before.

"So what did you have planned?"

"Well," Tara started, "we thought a little shopping is in order, dinner, a few drinks and then onto Fangtasia. Tray and JB are going to meet us there."

Great. I suppose that I should have guessed that we would end up there again, and I wouldn't have been too surprised to learn that Pam had glamoured this suggestion into their heads when she had her way with them, if that was the case.

"I don't know. I don't mind us getting food, but I think I'll head home afterwards. I don't want to encroach on your evening with your boys." In all honesty, it was quite true that being the single girl with two friends in happy and loving relationships was difficult, and although I really liked Tray and JB, I didn't enjoy spending time with them all when they were all over each other.

"Nonsense. You know they both love you. And we want you there. Please?" Tara was giving me the puppy-dog eyes, a look I had always struggled to say no to.

"And anyway," Amelia continued, "the tall blond may be there."

I felt a chill come across me. "The tall blond?"

"Yeah, the hot one you were dancing with last weekend?"

I didn't normally, but I lowered my shields to take a peek into the minds of my friends. I could tell from each of them that there were blanks and spaces where they had obviously been glamoured, but I was surprised to see their new memories were so clear. And they both did have memories of me getting down and dirty with Eric on the dance floor.

"Right, yeah," I said a little unconvincingly.

"Come on, Sook, please?" Tara begged. "I don't mind driving so you can have a drink." Normally, Tara never offered.

"Okay," I relented, "but I don't mind driving. I probably won't stay too late so you guys can travel back with the boys."

Both girls squealed and jumped up to hug me. I had to admit that there was a small part of me that was quite interested to see Eric again, particularly after the week of dreams I'd been having. But it also nerved me to be around vampires, particularly considering that he said they would be able to smell that I'd had Eric's blood.

The truth was that Eric had done little to prove he wasn't trustworthy. He had spared me my life when he certainly wanted to kill me at first, and he had kept his promise about dealing with Bill Compton, as his home had been boarded up in the week since I'd last seen him at Fangtasia.

After packing away my work, I went with the girls to the mall where we got a light lunch and then spent the afternoon shopping. I ended up with a gorgeous dark purple cocktail dress. The bodice was strapless and skin tight to just past my ass, where the short skirt flared into pleats. I paired it with some fishnets and a new pair of black patent pumps. A girl could never have too many pairs. The outfit certainly looked more _Fangtasia_ than my previous dress had done.

Before getting changed into our new clothes, we got some dinner and then piled into the rest rooms to get changed. I was glad that I'd taken the time to wash my hair that morning, and I always carried around a face powder, mascara, eyeliner and lip-gloss. Those things were my essentials.

Once ready, we stopped at a bar in the city centre for a quick cocktail so Tara could let JB know we were ready to meet them. She was surprised to learn that they were already at Fangtasia, and after finishing our drinks, we decided to go over and meet them.

I couldn't deny that I felt apprehensive about being there again, but I too had kept my promise to Eric in not leaving the area and not telling a soul about his secret. And to be perfectly honest, I wasn't sure that anyone would believe me. In fact, if I ever admitted to anyone that not only were vampires, werewolves and fairies real, but that I could also read minds, I'd no doubt find myself in a padded cell with one of those cardigans that does up at the back! No, there was not a chance that I was going to say anything to anyone if it would get me committed.

I parked my car in the parking lot, which wasn't too full, and we got out to see only a small line was outside the club. As we walked past the entrance, my name was called, and I turned to see Pam again stood at the door. I'd thought before that she was an odd choice for a bouncer, but in knowing what I did now, she was actually an excellent choice.

"Sookie," she said in a tone laden with sarcasm, "so pleased to see you back here so soon. Why don't you all go on in."

Amelia squealed and grabbed onto my arm as I took a deep breath and headed to the door. I heard some of the people in the queue complaining that we were being let in when they weren't, but we ignored them and walked in.

The club wasn't too busy, and I got the distinct impression that it was not properly open yet as the music wasn't as loud as it had been the previous time. A quick scan of the room told me that the majority of the people in the room were either vampire, were, or something else altogether. The only other human minds being Tara, Amelia and JB and some of the waiting staff who appeared to be very heavily glamoured.

Tara, JB and Amelia seemed completely oblivious to what was going on around us, but I could see that Tray wasn't too happy that we were there. I tried to keep up appearances, however, hugging the boys and ordering a diet coke from the vampire at the bar who somehow looked a damned site more sinister than the last time he'd served me.

"Sookie," a voice said behind me. "I'm surprised to see you here."

I turned to see Alcide walking towards me, a serious expression on his face and a mood that seemed to match Tray's. I didn't want to delve further into his thoughts or emotions, but I had the feeling something was up. There certainly appeared to be a great number of weres in the bar that night.

"Hey, Alcide," I said, keeping my voice light. "How are you? I haven't seen you in ages!"

I had seen very little of Alcide in the time since we'd split, but I understood from Tray that he was still seeing his bitch girlfriend Debbie. In fact, thinking about it, bitch was probably a very accurate term for her. I tried to resist the doggy jokes while we were in public, but I was determined to get Alcide alone so I could lay into him. I was still very pissed at him for not telling me that he was a werewolf.

"I'm good," he said flatly before moving closer to me and bending down to whisper into my ear. "You shouldn't be here, Sook. Please, just go. I'm not going to ask you for much, Sookie, and I know that I don't have the right to, but please just take Amelia, JB and Tara and get out of here."

His voice was pleading, and if I hadn't known why he was asking me to leave, I'd have been quite scared. "What's the matter, Alcide, want some space to run around chasing your tail?"

He stepped back from me, a startled expression on his face. "You know?"

"Yes," I hissed, "I know."

He grabbed at my elbow and led me to one side of the bar. "You have to know that I couldn't tell you. But how?" he had a look of confusion in his eyes before the realisation got him. "Fuck, Sookie? He's already got to you, hasn't he? Sookie, you have to understand that Eric Northman is a dangerous man. Please, Sookie, stay well away from him. I will protect you as much as I can, but please leave."

I wanted to tell him that there was no point in that, but I wasn't sure how much the vampire would want me to say. "Alc, I appreciate your concern, but I'm okay. I promise."

"No! Please don't say you owe him anything! Sookie, you have to get away from here. Leave the state if you have to, but please go!" Alcide seemed desperate for me to leave, but I knew that wasn't an option.

I placed a hand on his warm arm. "Alcide, I'm fine. And I can't leave, I–"

I was interrupted by Debbie Pelt coming between us, her face filled with anger and a feral look in her eyes. "Stay the fuck away from my man, whore!"

She was literally spitting in my face as she spoke, and I stepped back a few paces from her to get some breathing space. Alcide, in turn, pulled her further away from me, whispering something in her ear, his back to me and an arm around her front.

"No!" she yelled at him. "She's a fucking bitch and she shouldn't be here!"

"Calling me a bitch? That's rich coming from you!" I just couldn't stop myself from saying it, and I really wished that Amelia could understand my joke, as I knew she'd laugh right along with me.

She growled at me, and I did a quick search of her thoughts to see that her mind was full of hatred towards me. What I didn't see until too late was that she had a small handgun hidden in her purse, and was pointing it at me. I could see from the wild look in her eyes that she was intent on shooting me, and with Alcide facing in the other direction there was little he could do to help me.

I met her eyes briefly, and I saw her smile an evil grin as she went to pull the trigger. It all seemed to happen in slow motion, although it had only been seconds.

I heard the bang and I waited for the pain, but instead of the sharp pain I expected, I found myself falling sideways onto the floor as I was knocked off my feet by a large blond vampire.

Eric Northman had pushed me out of the way and had taken the bullet.

* * *

**Thought I'd change the whole shooting thing a bit! Though Debbie is still crazy?**

**So, Eric has just saved Sookie's life. Will she owe him? What will it mean?**

**I'd love to know your thoughts.**

**~drumbjo  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for the continued love for this! I love reading each and every review, and it makes me happy that people bother to read it!**

**So on with the next chapter...**

* * *

Eric had shoved me hard as he jumped in the line of the bullet, and I landed clumsily on my right arm as I fell in a heap.

Around me, the room had descended into chaos.

I'd heard the screams as the gun went off, and then the continued screaming of one of the waitresses as she viewed the scene. I looked up to see that Pam had appeared out of nowhere and was pinning Debbie to the wall, the weres feet off the ground as she struggled against the vampire. Alcide was trying to help her, but was being held back by the bartender and a small Asian-looking vampire. Another female vampire was at the door and stopping people from leaving. I could only assume that the humans present would be glamoured, and for a moment, I was glad that the vampires held that kind of power.

I was hurting from landing on my side, and the pain in my right arm only increased as I tried to move it. I had the distinct impression that my arm or wrist may be broken. But I didn't have time to think of that, instead I looked down at the seemingly unconscious vampire by my side. He'd taken the bullet for me at point-blank range and there was a hell of a lot of blood spilling from his wound.

"Eric!" I yelled at him, shaking his cold arm violently with my free one to try and get some response from him. "Please wake up!" My voice was begging. When he didn't respond, I turned to Pam. "Is he okay?" I asked her.

She didn't respond to me, but increased her grip on Debbie's throat. "Is that a silver bullet?" she growled at her.

"No," Debbie hissed back, struggling against Pam once more, but getting absolutely nowhere. Pam didn't seem concerned about her at all, pinning her with one wrist and turning back towards me.

"He will be fine. The bullet will push its way out, but he will need blood. Are you willing?" she raised an expectant eyebrow at me.

I had to admit it; he had saved my life. Therefore, the least I could do was to let him have my blood.

"Bite me," I said to the small Asian vampire and holding out my left arm for her to do so.

She did as I asked without a second's hesitation, and I held my bleeding wrist over Eric's mouth so that the blood dripped down his throat. Finally, he started to show signs of 'life' beneath me, his lips meeting my wrist as he started to suck hungrily at the wound, his hands moving to my arm to keep it in front of him.

I once again felt his pull much lower down, and despite the panic and chaos all around, I felt decidedly turned on by his drinking from my wrist. It was all I could do to not moan at the sensation.

"Sookie," he whispered, and I turned to see that his eyes were now open. Although his t-shirt was still soaked in blood, I could see through the hole in his t-shirt that his wound mostly seemed to be sealed.

In a flash, Eric was up off the floor and stood next to Pam, his fangs bared as he growled at the were his child was pinning to the wall.

"You dare to bring a gun into my club?" he hissed at her. "You dare to threaten my human?" I didn't like the 'my human' bit in front of so many others, but since I had already had his blood and pretty much accepted that I would be seen as his property, there was little I could do about it. "I should kill you right here," he said with a growl.

Alcide, still fighting against the bartender, yelled a pained 'don't' at Eric, who turned to face him and then took three long strides in his direction. I couldn't deny that I was pissed off at Alcide for trying to defend Debbie when she had just tried to kill me. But it confused me: if Alcide was so in love with his skanky girlfriend, then why did he try so hard to warn me against Eric and being around vampires? Was it that although he didn't want me, he didn't want me anywhere near Eric?

Looking at the two of them, I couldn't deny that it was Eric that my eyes were drawn to. I had always thought Alcide was by far the best-looking man I'd ever met, and beforehand he probably was. But when stood next to the vampire, he paled in comparison.

"You dare to tell Sookie to stay away from me?" Eric said to Alcide in a controlled yet deadly voice. I hadn't realised that Eric was anywhere around to listen to what Alcide had said to me before the chaos, and it worried me that Eric would kill Alcide for saying that. Alcide may have hurt me in breaking up with me, but that didn't mean I wanted anything bad to happen to him.

"She doesn't need to know about all this, Eric," he argued, albeit far too late to be worth anything. "Let her go."

"Not a chance," Eric growled back at him, and I could see that both men seemed to be squaring up to each other, even if it was obvious that in a fight, the vampire would win very easily.

I stood up off the floor, intent on stopping these two from trying to kill each other, my right arm gently cradled in my left as I approached them both. Before I had the chance to say anything, Eric turned to me, an odd look in his eyes.

"You are injured," he stated. "Your arm is broken."

I did not know how he knew – maybe he could feel my pain through whatever bond we had – but he seemed to care that I was hurt.

"Tell me you have not had his fucking blood!" Alcide shouted at me, taking me by surprise. He stepped towards me and grasped me hard by the shoulders, his fingers sinking in and no doubt bruising me. "Tell me, Sookie!"

In an instant, Alcide was pulled off me, and thrown by a very angry Eric across the bar. The screaming waitress resumed her caterwauling, and if I could have, I would have happily glamoured her myself.

"Will someone please shut her up?" Pam asked, much to my relief. I saw the bartender go to her and glamour her into silence, other weres moving to where Alcide had ended up.

I looked over to see a fearful Tara clinging onto an equally scared JB, both of them watching Eric with trepidation. Amelia, strangely, didn't seem as scared or surprised by it all as Tara was; although Tray did have a protective arm wrapped around her shoulders as he surveyed the goings on in the room.

"No one is to leave," Eric announced in a loud voice, before coming back up to me and extending his right hand to me. "Come."

I did as he asked, taking his hand and following him out of the bar and to his office. "Are you okay?" I asked him when we were alone, my eyes flicking to where the bullet had hit him.

"I am vampire, Sookie. Bullets do not harm me. It is not the first time I have been shot." Somehow, that didn't surprise me.

He pulled his bloody t-shirt off, and I couldn't resist ogling his torso as he went to the closet at one end of his office to pull a clean shirt out. Despite all the blood, his body was every bit as good as I had imagined it; in fact, I would say that my imagination didn't come close to realising how perfect the man looked like shirtless.

He took three long strides across the room and stood in front of me, his clean shirt still in his hand. "You desire me," he stated, a smouldering look in his eyes.

I swallowed thickly knowing that there was little point in denying it. I knew I had to drop my eyes from his and break his eye contact, but I couldn't. If I didn't know better I would be sure that he had found a way to somehow glamour me.

"Let me see."

"What?" I asked, genuinely confused about what he wanted to look at.

"Your arm," he said gently with a slight chuckle.

"Oh, okay." I tentatively lifted my arm closer to him so he could inspect it. "Do you have a medical degree or something?" I asked, genuinely curious.

He chuckled. "No. I'm not sure a vampire would be too great as a doctor. But you don't live for over a thousand years without picking up a thing or two. This may hurt."

I braced myself, but his touch was soft as he gently felt down my arm. I could see that it was already swollen, and I was sure it was probably broken.

"So what's the verdict, doc?" I asked him, trying to keep the mood as light as possible.

"It is broken. I am … sorry. I did not mean for you to be injured."

It was almost as if the word 'sorry' was an alien concept for him. And I had a feeling that since he was a vampire, it probably was. I couldn't really imagine that vampires went around apologising to each other often, particularly to those considered below them in the pecking order as I certainly was.

"You saved my life, Eric," I pointed out, genuinely grateful that he did appear in time to push me out of the way. "I should be thanking you."

"I'm sure I could think of ways you could repay me."

"I've already said that I will work for you," I pointed out.

"That wasn't what I meant," he said suggestively.

Right. The intensity was back in the room and I looked around, frantically trying to think of something to say.

"You need to take my blood," he said suddenly. "It will heal you."

I gave him a smile. "That's okay, if someone could take me to the emergency room that would be great."

He sighed. "You are right handed, yes?"

"Yeah…"

He had a point; I'd struggle with my right arm in plaster. I wouldn't be able to drive and my handwriting was decidedly illegible with my left hand. Even my left-handed typing wasn't that hot. But I supposed I could use the company apartment in Shreveport and get a taxi to work while I was in plaster.

"Let me heal you," he said softly, shaking me out of my stupor.

"Why?"

"Why are you questioning me?" he retaliated, a tone of annoyance in his voice.

"Well, you have said that I am simply an asset to you, and I am fairly sure that my telepathy works whether I have a broken arm or not."

"Your point?" he snapped.

"My point is that you have already saved my life from the crazy-ass bitch in there, and I am truly really, really grateful for that. But you don't have to heal me as well. If it wasn't for you I'd be on a fast track to the morgue right now, and I thank you for that. But why do you want to help me further? I am nothing to you."

"You are not nothing," he snapped at me, his voice much louder than I had expected it to be.

I think he may have been as surprised at his words as I was. He clenched his fists into his hair and turned away from me. Obviously taking the time to calm himself. I didn't know why I needed to know or why I felt the need to force him like this while I was cradling my broken arm in my left hand. At least the drama was distracting me from the pain.

Finally he turned back to me, his features schooled. I would have done anything to have taken a peek into his mind to find out what he was thinking. I was not used to feeling so uninformed.

"I do not wish you to be in pain," he finally said.

"Meaning?" I pressed.

"You do not get to question me!" he yelled, anger flashing in his eyes. I flinched, stepping away from him and backing into his large wooden desk.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, hoping that it would calm him. I had seen first-hand how dangerous he could be, and considering the fact that Alcide was so intent on warning me to stay away from him, I could only assume that pissing him off was not the best course of action, no matter how much of an 'asset' I was to him.

I couldn't help the tears that sprang into my eyes. They were partly from fear and partly from the pain in my arm. I held by breath so I didn't sob or sniff, and willed the tears away with all my might.

"Please do not cry," he said in a softer tone. I nodded, knowing that if I let out my breath some kind of sob would come out of my mouth. "I do not wish to scare you, and I do not wish for you to be injured because of me."

He indicated down to my left and I saw a box of tissues on his desk. It struck me as odd that a vampire would need tissues, but I gratefully took a couple, dried my eyes and blew my nose.

"You are in pain?" he asked me, a strange expression on his face.

"Yes," I whispered, although much to my chagrin it came out as a whimper.

"Then I would ask you to take my blood. It will heal you. There is no need to spend weeks in pain and with a cast on your arm. Let me help you."

I relented. He had already told me that vampires guarded their blood jealously, so it was quite a gift he was giving me, but I couldn't work out why he wanted to help me. I may be a telepath and part fairy, but I was still mostly human.

"I will take your blood, and I thank you. But I want to know why you are so keen to help me when you don't have to. Would you do this for other human employees of yours?"

"No, I would not. And nor would any vampire."

"Then why me?"

The vampire appeared to be wrestling with himself, and I could see that my question had put him on the spot.

"Sit," he commanded, pointing at the black leather sofa. I raised an eyebrow at his order, but did as he asked. He paced a few steps before standing deathly still and addressing me. I felt tiny compared to him stood at his full height. "I am not used to caring about any other being than myself and my child. But I do not wish harm to you, Miss Stackhouse. I do not wish you to be in pain, or to be inconvenienced by a broken arm. I will give you my blood, but you will also answer my questions."

"What questions?" I challenged as he sat down on the sofa next to me.

"You will find out once you have taken my blood."

"I don't think so."

"Woman, be quiet and come here!"

He'd assumed a position so that he was leaning in one corner of the sofa, his arms resting along the arm and back, and his legs parted. I kept my eyes firmly on his upper body, although as he was still not wearing a shirt, that wasn't much better.

"Is there not another way we can do this?" I almost complained.

"If you wish to straddle me, Sookie, and drink straight from my neck you are more than welcome to." He raised an eyebrow in challenge.

"Fine," I huffed, turning my back to him and shuffling back towards him. As soon as I reached him, he placed his arms gently around my midriff and pulled me back closely to him, his right arm remaining around my waist and pinning me in place as he lifted his left to his mouth to bite. I heard the telltale crunch of his fangs sinking into his own wrist, and a split-second later it was presented in front of me. I didn't hesitate this time, immediately latching onto the bloody wound and sucking hard. Eric groaned behind me, thrusting his groin up to the small of my back, but I couldn't care about that.

I was fairly sure that I could feel my bones knitting together as I drank from him, and a sudden fear hit me that I could very easily become addicted to his blood. It was thick and cool, and sweet yet salty at the same time, like some kind of salted caramel, but it lacked the horrible iron taste of my own blood.

After my third mouthful Eric, prised his wrist away from me, and I had to admit that I was disappointed. Remaining in his arms, I tentatively flexed the fingers and the wrist of my right arm, but realised that they were as good as new, if not better.

Eric had both of his arms around me holding me tight to him. But in all honesty, I didn't want to move. I felt the tip of Eric's nose glide along my throat, and I couldn't help but want him to bite me. I groaned audibly in frustration when he didn't.

"Have you been dreaming about me, Sookie," he whispered seductively into my ear.

I wanted to lie to him, but I knew there was no point. I could only assume that the additional blood I'd taken from him had only made whatever bond we shared stronger.

"How long will they last?" I asked, ignoring his question.

"They will have lessened over the week, although as you have just taken more of my blood they are likely to intensify." He started stroking my stomach with his thumb, and it was hard to concentrate on anything other than that.

"The dreams … they … they didn't lessen. In fact, they increased." The vampire growled behind me, and I was glad that I was faced away from him so I didn't have to see his response to my admission.

Instead, he moved beneath me, his hardness now prominent into my ass. "Maybe my blood is not the only thing that is making you desire me."

I didn't want him to be right, but he most certainly was. I was kidding myself if I tried to say that I hadn't thought of him over the week. As I had, a lot. It didn't mean that I didn't find this whole situation with vampires, werewolves and fairies completely insane, but when it came to Eric, I couldn't help that I was strangely attracted to him and his silent mind.

"Yield to me, Sookie, let me show you how great I am."

He ran his fangs gently along my neck, and I again found myself almost begging for his bite as I had been in many of my dreams, my neck tilting so that he had better access to my throat.

But my wants were thrown out the window when an irate Alcide came storming into the office, the door slamming against the wall as he paced to the centre of the room and stared down at Eric and me on the couch. I could only imagine what we looked like.

"Stop … don't go in there … stop!" Pam said far too late in a bored tone as she followed behind my ex and came into the office, her eyes appraising us, and a manicured eyebrow arched. It was clearly obvious that she had let him come into the room so he could see the somewhat compromising position Eric and I were in.

"What the fuck, Sookie?" Alcide yelled, and Pam quickly shut the door behind her so others would not overhear.

I tried to move, but Eric held me tightly in position close to him. I couldn't feel his emotions as he could mine, but I was sure I could sense the anger radiating off him at Alcide's interruption.

"You will watch your tongue, wolf," Eric spat at him.

Ignoring him, Alcide continued. "You've had his blood? Are you insane, Sookie? He is a cold-blooded killer! He will simply use you and move onto the next fangbanger that comes along."

"What, like you did?" I asked him, venom evident in my voice.

That seemed to blindside Alcide. "Sookie, I had to be with Debbie. She is a were like me. I must continue my line."

Unsurprisingly, that didn't make me feel any better. "You left me, Alcide. What I choose to do with my life now is not of your concern." I'd have happily walked away from him if I didn't have the vampire's vice-like arm gripping me in position.

"It is if I see that you are being fucking stupid!" Eric growled behind me, and I could see that Pam was lurking behind Alcide, obviously waiting for some kind of indication from her maker. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Sookie. He is a vampire! He is dangerous, and he will use you. But to take his blood? How fucking stupid are you? He will always have control over you."

I tried to stand up, and this time Eric let me out of his grip, moving to stand just behind me as I walked up to Alcide.

"Did you not see? He just saved my life from your crazy girlfriend. He took a bullet. For me. I know for sure that you wouldn't have done that." I didn't quite know what point I was getting at, and I stopped there before I could say anything else. "Leave me alone, Alcide. I am no longer your concern."

I crossed my arms in front of me and stared down Alcide until he broke our gaze. I could see that he was in a precarious situation with two vampires in the room who were obviously very pissed off with him.

Eric spoke up from behind me. "I must go and deal with the mess your girlfriend caused. Be aware that this will only add to your debt. You will stay in the bar, and you and I will have a little talk later."

I frowned, wondering what the hell Eric was talking about. "Yes, sheriff."

Sheriff? That surprised me. That obviously meant that Eric held some kind of position with vampire society. I had been told there was a queen, so obviously there were positions below her as well.

"Come," he picked up the black t-shirt he'd previously had in his hands, put it on and walked out of the room with Pam hot on his heels. I trotted along behind them with Alcide close behind me.

In the bar, it had mostly been righted and the area of spilled blood was being cleaned by the now silent waitress. I lowered my shields and took a peek into her brain to see that her mind resembled the quality of Swiss cheese. It was not a surprise that she was nuts considering how many times she must have been glamoured.

Tara, JB and Amelia had been herded into one corner of the bar, Tray with them. We walked in their direction, and Eric turned to me.

"I must glamour your friends. They cannot remember this."

"You do not need to glamour Amelia," Tray interrupted, and I could see Eric's surprised.

"Care to expand on that, Dawson?"

"She knows what I am. She knows of the existence of vampires and other beings. Amelia is a natural witch."

"I do not like witches," Eric said calmly.

"And I'm not over keen on vampires," Amelia piped up. "But I am not out to cause trouble. Particularly if you are a friend of Sookie's." I could see that she was carefully observing Eric and me, and I suddenly realised quite how close to him I was stood.

I had to admit to be stunned at Amelia's revelation, and that was an unusual circumstance to find myself in. I had known for the three years she'd been living in Bon Temps, and we'd quickly become close friends. I'd told her fairly early about my disability, and she'd been incredibly understanding of me. But if I was honest, I had learnt to keep my shields firmly in place around Amelia, as she was certainly a loud broadcaster.

I looked at her and she mouthed the word 'later' at me, still standing her ground against Eric.

"She is a friend of yours?" Eric asked me, surprisingly.

"Yes."

I knew what he was asking, and I lowered my shields. Strangely, I could feel some kind of force field around Amelia's mind, which I had never noticed before. But then I had never probed her before like this. She muttered a few words to herself, and then it was gone. Her mind was on clear display to me, and I quickly realised that she did speak the truth. Amelia had always seemed the type to simply state her thoughts, and I could see that she did know all about Tray and the apparently supernatural world we lived in. I smiled at Amelia and raised my own shields.

I turned to face Eric, looking up at him and meeting his eyes. "She is telling you the truth."

"Fine."

Ignoring Amelia, he turned his attention to Tara and JB, implanting false memories of us arriving to the bar. I couldn't help but feel bad that Tara had been glamoured twice in a week thanks to me, but it seemed so much better that she didn't know what was really going on. Tara and JB were honest yet simple people. Neither one of them needed to know the horror of the world they lived in.

Eric gently took my arm and led me away from the others to sit in one of the booths. The doors to the bar had been opened, and the club was quickly filling, the noise level increased as the music was turned up.

"What will happen to Debbie and Alcide?" I asked him.

"They will be dealt with." His tone was straightforward, yet there was a distinct sense that it wouldn't work out so well for either of them.

"Are you going to kill them?" I asked quietly.

He narrowed his eyes and sat back in the booth. His broad arms were crossed, and the muscles in his shoulders were clearly defined as he tensed his arms. "Why do you care?"

I started to speak, but chose to think more about my response. Why did I care? Debbie had just tried to kill me. She had shot Eric, and even though he was pretty much bullet proof, he had still been injured by her.

"I feel that although she tried to kill me, that shouldn't mean deserves to die. And Alcide has done nothing more than defend his girlfriend. I would have expected that from him if we had been together."

"Sookie, you do not understand the ways of my world. If I let Ms Pelt go it will look like weakness on my part, and others will assume that they can take from me. She must be made an example of. No one would expect her to live. She knows that and even the wolf knows that."

I looked over at Alcide to see a dejected look in his eye. He no doubt knew that Debbie had given herself a death sentence in shooting the head-honcho vampire.

"But she was aiming for me!" I argued in her defence.

"I do not understand why you are defending her. But your point is irrelevant. You are mine and she attempted to kill you. Her life is therefore forfeit."

"And Alcide?"

"I will be speaking to him. I do not appreciate him telling you to stay away from me." He had an odd expression on his face that I could not comprehend.

"It is irrelevant, as you would say."

"Meaning?"

"I am my own woman. I am not going to let Alcide or anyone tell me what to do."

He leaned forward and rested his chin on his knuckles, his elbow on the table. There was an intensity in his eyes as he stared at me. "Why did you come here tonight?"

"My friends … they wanted to come. I assumed Pam glamoured them into wanting to come back." I raised an eyebrow at him.

"She would have, yes. It helps with repeat business," he said with a smirk. I rolled my eyes. "But that doesn't answer why you are here."

"I …" I went to tell him that I simply came along with my friends, but he knew as well as I did that it was not the case. I could have convinced Amelia and Tara that I didn't want to come, but I chose to. I wanted to see Eric. I knew what he was, I knew that danger that he brought about, yet for some reason I went searching for it. I chose to remain quiet.

"Sookie, did you come here to see me?" he prompted.

I swallowed, the air somehow seeming very thick between us. "Your blood, right? It would influence me?" I had to admit that I was clutching at straws.

He raised an eyebrow but agreed with me. "It would, to some extent. It would make you dream of me, and you have admitted that you have. But do you deny that you were attracted to me when we first met? Did you think about me in the two weeks before you had my blood?" He leaned forward so that I could feel his cool breath on my hot cheeks. "Did you fantasize about me?"

I couldn't deny that I hadn't done just that. No woman in her right mind wouldn't be attracted to him. He had an otherworldly beauty and the body of an Olympic swimmer. I could feel my face flush under his scrutinizing gaze.

"No," I lied.

He smiled, knowing all too well that I was lying. "My bullshit metre says false, Sookie. You forget that with a second exchange I can feel your emotions much keener. I know that you are trying to deceive me." He leaned in even closer to whisper into my ear. "But why would you want to do that?" he asked with a smirk.

"I–"

I went to answer him, or at least think of some kind of reason, but he stood up abruptly, his smile still on his face.

"Think on it, Sookie. You know where I will be." He winked at me before walking in the direction of his office, while I sat dumbfounded and staring at his ass as he walked away.

Shaking myself from my stupor, I looked around for my friends to see Amelia and Tray heading in my direction. It was Tray that spoke to me.

"I think we had better head off. You may have Eric's protection, but it's going to get ugly in here."

I was fully in agreement with Tray. Amelia gave me a knowing look before we went and found a completely ignorant Tara and JB. They were disappointed to leave so early, but Amelia faked a headache and I said I was tired. I went to climb into my car and was joined by Amelia. I could see that Tray and Tara were the other ones driving.

"You're a witch, then?" I asked her once we were on the move.

"Yes. Now tell me all about the vampire. I need to know details."

"Have you been a witch long?" I asked her, ignoring her demands. "Did you have some kind of spell to protect your mind from me?"

"I've been practising for seven years, and yes. Now tell me about tall, blond and dead. He gave you his blood?"

I sighed; Amelia was not going to relent and if I didn't tell her now she'd only keep on at me. I told her about the strange meeting we had at his office, that he couldn't glamour me, and that he apparently followed me home. I also told her about what happened in his office in the club and then at his home, and finally what had transpired between us that night. She hadn't interrupted, but I could tell that she had many questions.

"You're blood bonded to him, then."

"I thought it was permanent at three exchanges?"

"It is. But you still share a bond now. You do realise that vampires do not bond to humans often; they are covetous of their blood. Particularly ones as old as the Viking."

"Viking?"

"Yes, he was a Viking when he was alive. You know, raping and pillaging, that kind of thing. Tray tells me that he is one of the oldest vampires on the continent. And trust me, you do not live for that long and not know how to kick ass. He is a dangerous being, Sook."

"So Alcide said. And I can assure you that I have seen his scary side first-hand."

"But?" she prompted.

I shrugged. "He seems caring as well. He didn't have to give me his blood tonight, he could have let me go to the emergency room, but he said he didn't want me to be in pain."

Amelia was deep in thought and remained quiet for a few minutes as I drove in the direction of Bon Temps. Eventually she spoke up. "Sook, I think you need to be careful. You're getting in over your head with him. He knows about you being a telepath, and there's nothing you can do about that. He will use you as and when he desires, and I suppose that working for him is probably better than the other option. But you need to keep your distance from him. He's obviously attracted to you in some way, and trust me when I say that vampires are well known for their sexual prowess. But if you want to keep some semblance of normality, you really shouldn't go down that route."

I thought carefully about what Amelia had said. I could completely see her logic and point of view, and I didn't doubt that the sensible thing to do was to stay well away from Eric Northman.

The problem was that I didn't want to.

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**Oh dear, Sookie does have a problem! Next chapter will be Eric POV as he has some 'splaining to do.**

**I'd love to know your thoughts and comments.**

**x  
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	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the delay in posting and the shorter than normal chapter. I'm struggling with writing at the moment, and have had a bit of a crisis in confidence. I hope it's okay.**

**Anyway, thanks to everyone that has taken the time to read, rate, review, alert or favourite this story. It keeps me going.**

* * *

**Eric**

I walked away from Sookie, feeling her intense confusion and a little annoyance. I could not keep the smirk off my face as I thought about exactly what had been said between her and me. It was clear that she did desire me; however, she obviously didn't want to admit it to herself. I quickly schooled my features when I saw Herveaux sat morosely at the bar. He knew exactly where I was headed, but knew well enough to keep his thoughts to himself.

After entering the code to get down to the lower level of the bar, I looked in on Bill, taking the time to kick the coffin a few times, before heading to where Pam had chained Debbie Pelt in silver shackles. Although weres are not as allergic to silver as a vampire, it still causes them some damage, weakens them and prevents them from shifting. She had a wild expression in her eyes, and if it wasn't for the gag Pam had placed over her mouth, she would no doubt be shouting all kinds of obscenities at my child.

I carefully removed the gag and stood back. The were knew well enough not to shout at me, although she could hardly be in a worse position.

"Tell me why you brought a gun into my club," I commanded.

"Protection."

"You know that you could not kill a vampire, why did you feel the need?"

"I always carry it. And my only regret is that I didn't get to kill that bitch."

I was on her instantly, my fangs bared and my hand around her throat as I pushed her hard into the wall. "You will watch your mouth," I hissed, my fury almost creating a red haze in my vision.

The bitch had the gall to laugh, although it was more of a splutter considering that her neck was restricted.

"Explain," I said, momentarily increasing my grip before releasing her, but remaining only inches away from her.

There was disdain on her face as she started talking. "The great Eric Northman has fallen for a human! And a ridiculous freak of one as well. Who would have thought that…"

She didn't get time to finish the sentence as I had grabbed the sword hung that was hung on the wall of the chamber, and swinging it skilfully so she was decapitated in one easy stroke. Her head landed a few feet away due to the strength of my swing.

"Dispose of that," I said to Pam, meeting her eyes briefly before storming out of the room and into my office. Pam knew well enough to keep her mouth shut, and could no doubt feel my rage.

I walked into my office violently, the door nearly coming off its hinges as I entered and then slammed it behind me. I sank down into my chair, taking a few unnecessary yet calming breaths and opened my laptop. I needed something to distract myself from what the ridiculous were had said.

I was not falling for a human. She was a valuable asset, and would be incredibly useful in the coming months, particularly if the vampires did go ahead with the Revelation. In fact, if I loaned her to other areas or states I could no doubt pull in a good income from her. Of course, I would pay her as well, but she had no need to know exactly how much a vampire in power would pay for such a service.

Feeling calmer, I looked over the quarterly accounts that were being sent off to the queen. The accounts showed less than a fifth of my real income, but I was hardly going to declare my whole income to her, and she had no way of discovering all the businesses and investments I owned. It was an advantage of living for a thousand years; you get to make some very useful and profit wielding procurements.

After ten minutes, a knock at the door indicated Pam's arrival. I closed the lid of my computer and allowed her entrance. She sat down on the leather chair opposite my desk. She started speaking as soon as I looked up.

"Longshadow is burying her a few miles away."

"I told you to do it."

"I delegated." Pam simply raised an eyebrow and checked something on her nails. "What is going on, Eric?" She almost had concern in her voice.

"About what?"

"The telepath. Miss Stackhouse," she repeated as if I didn't know what telepath she was referring to. "Why expose us for her?"

I narrowed my eyes at my child, but she remained steadfast. "She is a useful asset and will bring a good income in future years."

"But why save her? You could have turned her."

She had a point that I had not considered, but it was irrelevant. "And risk her telepathy not transferring across? No, it was too big a risk to take. And besides, as she was injured she has had my blood again. Once she is bonded fully to me, no vampire will be able to make a claim to her."

"You are going to bond with her then?" Pam was surprised.

"Yes. It is the practical solution. It will tie her to me."

Pam looked troubled, and I could feel her confusion. I raised an eyebrow and waited for her to speak. It was unlike her to consider her words quite so carefully.

"Master, please do not think me out of turn to say this, but you seem … attached to Miss Stackhouse."

"Explain."

"I sensed from you that you wanted to protect her, and it didn't feel just as a valuable asset like you say it is."

I gave a low warning growl. "She is an asset, and nothing more. I will not deny that I am looking forward to fucking her, and that I cannot glamour her presents a different challenge."

"But she also knows what you are."

My child had a point. I was not used to any humans knowing what I was. Most humans would run far away if they knew what Miss Stackhouse did about me, yet she had seemingly chosen to come to my bar of her own accord. She had not admitted in so many words that she came to see me, but it was obvious she was attracted to me.

"That is true, but also irrelevant. She will still be in my bed soon enough." And I was looking forward to it as well.

Pam stood up to leave, but turned back to me. "What the were said … Do you care for her?"

"Pamela," I warned with a snarl. She nodded once and left my office immediately. My child could be incredibly frustrating at times, and she often had the gall to challenge me on things no other would.

Not in the mood for work, I stood and walked back into the bar the where the wolf was drowning his sorrows. I beckoned for him to join me in my booth.

"Is she dead?" he asked as he slumped down heavily opposite me and reeking of the strong liquor, he had been drinking.

"Yes."

He shut his eyes and rested his head in his hands. "Was it quick?" He wouldn't have expected it to be considering what her punishment would be.

"Yes." He didn't need to know more than that.

"Thank you."

"I didn't make it quick for you." It had crossed my mind since that Sookie had not wanted the were to be killed, and I wondered whether she would have approved of my method. But it also surprised me that Sookie had come to mind.

"I didn't know she had the gun, Eric. You know I wouldn't have allowed her to bring it in here. Thank you for saving Sookie."

I raised an eyebrow. "You still love her?"

He raised his eyes to mine. "I never wanted to break things off with her. But I couldn't tell her what I was. I didn't want to expose her to all this."

"She would have found out soon enough. You knew she was telepathic…" I trailed off. I knew perfectly well that he didn't, but I was in the mood to rub it in.

"What?"

"You will watch your tone," I warned. "But, yes, she is telepathic. She is part of the Supe world as much as you and I."

The wolf's colour appeared to drain from his face. "She kept that from me," he said more to himself than me.

"As you did your nature. I must say, she seemed quite pissed off at you." I was enjoying this, and Alcide could tell.

"What do you want with her?"

I narrowed my eyes and leaned forward menacingly. "That, is not of your concern. And you will do well to remember that. I am letting you live despite the stupidity of your woman, but your debt to me is increased. Do not even thing about speaking to Sookie again."

"I need to apologise to her," he protested. "For what Debbie tried to do."

"Fine," I relented. "But if I discover that you have tried to convince her that she should stay away from me, you will not like the consequences. You may leave."

He nodded and left, knowing that it was the smart thing to do. I went back to my office and picked up some paperwork. James had done a great job in hacking into Compton's computer, although it had taken much longer than we had initially expected it to. And the longer it had taken the more I was convinced that Compton was hiding something. I wasn't disappointed to learn that he was.

Not only did his computer show the emails between him and the queen regarding Sookie Stackhouse, but he also seemed to be amassing a database of information about all known vampires. The details included anything that was known on their human lives, the approximate date and the vampire's human age at turning, details of the maker and any known special skills. I was particularly disturbed to see that I had an entry into this, and all of the information he had gathered was surprisingly accurate.

I didn't quite know how he had managed to undertake such a task, as he was a young and not a very likeable vampire, but it was what he had done. For now, I planned to sit on what I knew. If someone was involved in the project with Compton they would no doubt come looking for him in time, and I had no intention of letting him go any time soon.

I had asked James to monitor his email to see if anyone tried to contact him, and surveillance had been placed in Compton's home and around his property. I had been tempted to place some on Miss Stackhouse's property, but considering the blood bond we shared, I deemed it not necessary.

I knew that eventually I would have to let the queen know about the telepath, but I planned on waiting as long as possible, and preferably, until after I had completed the bond. I had no intention of letting the queen take her.

It led me to think of the cell phone I still had in my desk. I took it out and switched it on. I had asked James to hack the phone as well, and it hadn't taken long to get past the security code she had placed on it. I had been surprised that she hadn't asked for it back, as there was a wealth of knowledge of her business dealings.

In fact, as the thought hit me, I decided to return it to her. I shut my computer, closed up the office and left Fangtasia, flying quickly in the direction of Bon Temps, the cool wind on my face. It was all quiet around her house, and I landed, smelling the air. I could detect the trace of her witch friend, although the distinct smell of magic was not in the air or anywhere on her property.

Looking up, I could see a night-light on in one of the upper rooms and I hovered up to peek in through the window. Sookie was sat up in bed, the covers to her waist and a low cut, pale blue nightdress on. I found myself hoping that it was short and wondering what she had on underneath, if anything.

I debated about going back down to the front door to knock, but decided to knock on her window instead.

As soon as I did, she looked directly at me. I could feel her surprise, but also a sense of embarrassment, and I noted a distinct pink tinge to her cheeks. I would have to ask her about that if I found the chance. I knocked gently once more when she didn't move, and she slowly climbed out of the bed, leaving her book on the nightstand and pulling at the seams of her short nightdress as she padded, barefoot to the window.

She lifted the sash window all the way up, but as I didn't have an invitation, I couldn't go in. "Aren't you going to ask me in?" I asked with a wink, and noted again that she seemed embarrassed and strangely turned on as well. I wondered whether this scenario had featured in any of her dreams about me.

She swallowed. "Come in, Eric."

I gracefully flew into her room, landing gently and I looked around. I was struck by a strong hit of her unique scent in the feminine room. The walls were on an off-white colour that hinted on yellow, with white furniture and blue and yellow furnishings. It was a room that I could only imagine would look bright and airy in the morning sunlight. It was very Sookie.

"Thank you," I said, returning my attention back to her.

"You do have to be invited in then?"

"Yes," I said, taking a step towards her, "but I think you already knew that. Is this one of your fantasies, Sookie? Do I fly into your room and make love to you all night?" I ran a finger down her blushing cheek, and I couldn't stop my fangs from sliding into place, as I smelt her blood run to the surface of her skin and the faint smell of her arousal. She was delicious.

"What do you want?" she asked a little tersely while stepping back from me, obviously in an attempt to ignore my questions. I mirrored her movements until I had backed her into a wall.

"Tell me if I was right, and I will tell you."

I could feel her resolve weakening and then her resignation. "Yes," she whispered in a voice that only a vampire would here.

"What was that, Sookie?" I pressed.

The distance between us was only inches, and it was taking a lot of self-control to not touch her more. But I never forced a woman, and she had said before that she didn't want to have sex with me, no matter how her body responded to me and my touch. I knew that given time she would yield to me.

"You were right," she said a little louder, although still no more than a whisper.

I smiled and stepped away from her, taking a seat on a wooden chair at her desk and indicating for her to sit back down on the bed where she would be more comfortable. She seemed confused at first, but quickly took up my offer wrapping the covers around her legs and adjusting her top so not so much skin was on display. I couldn't deny that I was disappointed.

"I came to bring you back your phone," I stated, digging the device from out of my jeans pocket and handing it back to her. After learning what her passcode was, I had left the device as she had given it to me.

She looked down at her phone, fiddling with it in her fingers briefly before looking up at me. "I wasn't too sure I'd see this again."

I was almost a little offended by her implication. "I would not steal from you, Miss Stackhouse. It simply slipped my mind to give it to you earlier."

"I'm sorry, I wouldn't say that you would." She was quickly backtracking, and I could feel her nervousness. There was no doubt that she was still scared of me. "I just figured you had forgotten, and I didn't want to ask you for it."

"You should not be afraid to ask for what is yours. I hope that my holding on to it has not inconvenienced you."

She gave a small smile. "No, luckily I'd backed it up the day before going to Fangtasia the first time, and I was able to download my data onto a new phone." Sometimes, I felt that technology did amaze me.

"That is good. Let me pay the price of the replacement."

"It's okay, I claimed on my insurance. No bad, really."

I regarded her and checked our bond for her true feelings. There was some relief there and certainly some mild curiosity, but she seemed to be telling the truth.

"Fine, although you will let me pay for your drinks the next time you and your friends attend Fangtasia."

I felt an odd burst of regret from her that I could not place, but it did not seem the right time to quiz her on it.

"I trust that you are well despite the shocks of the evening?" I stood up, but remained a distance away from her.

"Yes, and thank you again for saving me. I guess I owe you my life."

"You shouldn't say that to a vampire," I warned. "You may find that the vampire may take you up on that offer."

She swallowed nervously. "Well thank you, anyway, and for healing me as well."

"My _pleasure_," I emphasised the word and I couldn't help but think back to the sensation of having her in my arms while she fed from me. "But then, I think you enjoyed it as well." I took a step towards the bed, Sookie's eyes still on mine and an intense gaze in her eyes.

I wanted nothing more than to rip the clothes off that we were both wearing and rub myself against her. I wanted to kiss and lick at her whole body while my hands ran over her perfect curves. I wanted to be inside of her, I wanted to control her body.

I looked for any sign from her that she wanted that too, and I could feel the internal struggle she was having. In the end, when she didn't move, I took a step back.

"Sweet dreams, Sookie, you know where to find me if you want to make good on those fantasies of yours."

I winked at her and made my way leisurely back to Shreveport. I did want her, but she presented a different challenge. I considered seducing some women in the club to come to bed with me, and it was never any hardship to do so. I certainly didn't need to glamour women to sleep with me, only to forget the more intricate details of our time together.

But I didn't want to do that. Sookie's blood was ten times more intoxicating that the average girls' blood, and I couldn't help but like the fact that I wouldn't have to glamour her to forget the time together. The fact that I couldn't do so was irrelevant.

As it was, when I arrived back at the club, I fed from two brunettes, glamouring them both after I was full and sent them of their way. Although I hadn't had sex with her, the liaison between Sookie and me earlier on was quite enough to keep me sated for the time being, and I didn't want to be disappointed by other women.

To ease my frustrations I decided to look in on Compton. I unclamped the outside of the coffin and lifted the lid. He was held in place by the cotton coated silver shackles, although I could see from continued exposure to them he was starting to burn. I couldn't bring myself to care, however.

He eyed me warily, knowing that I held infinitely more power over him in this position and that I was just looking for the opportunity to stake him.

"Compton," I stated.

"Sheriff."

"Comfortable in your surroundings?" I asked with a smirk.

"No. I wish to know for what crime you are keeping me here."

"Crimes."

"Crimes?" he parroted back to me with confusion.

"Yes, multiple, plural, more than one."

"And what would they be?" he sneered.

I raised an eyebrow at his tone and let him watch me don a pair of gloves and take down a small pair of silver pliers from the wall. He grimaced as he saw me testing them out in my hands as I flexed my grip.

"Firstly, the one we already know about. You knowingly coming to my area, not notifying me of your presence, and trying to steal a valuable asset from me."

"I was under the Queen's orders and she outranks you. I was hardly going to tell you!"

I knelt down by the coffin and leaned it, holding the pliers over his bare chest. "Really, Billy Boy? You want to take that tone with me while you are in this position?" I tutted a few times and then clamped his left nipple tightly with the device and laying the rubber handle on his chest.

He let out a howl of pain while I stood up to get the other pair.

"What about the vampire database you have on your computer?" I asked him, watching his face closely.

"I have no such thing," he stuttered, but the paleness of his face and the inability to speak normally said that he was lying.

"Billy, Billy, Billy!" I clamped the other device onto his right nipple. "You shouldn't lie to me, it really only makes your circumstances worse."

He was grimacing in pain, and his skin was smoking where the silver was in direct contact with his flesh.

"But I can see you don't want to talk to me right now, and that's fine. We can talk another time. That's the beauty of being a vampire. So much time. Sleep well, Billy!"

I kicked shut the lid and tightened the clamps closed. I had to admit, spending time with Compton certainly put me in a better mood, and even Pam seemed confident enough to approach me again.

Over the days that followed, she knew well enough to not mention Sookie Stackhouse, but I could feel her curiosity at times, and it was evident she was dying to ask me something. On any other subject I may have relented and given her free reign to ask, but on this one I was going to be resolute.

It was ten days after last seeing her that Sookie finally graced my bar with her presence. I was in my office and I could tell from Pam that something was up, and I soon enough felt the proximity of Sookie as she walked into the club.

"Come in, Sookie," I called from behind my desk as soon as she knocked. "Take a seat."

She was dressed in a pair of hip-hugging jeans, heeled boots and a long-sleeved black wrap-around t-shirt that emphasised her ample bust. Her hair was loose around her shoulders and she had a little make-up on that she didn't need.

I stretched my arms and crossed them behind my head, knowing that Sookie was watching me and enjoying the sight. I remained silent, waiting for her to speak up.

"I need to talk to you about something," she started cryptically.

"Okay, go on." I leaned forward and rested my elbows on the large desk between us.

"I want to take you up on your offer," she said, before pausing.

"And what offer would that be, Sookie?" My voice was a purr.

She took a moment to compose herself.

"I want to sell you the land."

* * *

***hides***

**Yeah, I still like cliffhangers! I plan to post the next chapter over the weekend. Hope you all have a good Easter.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for the words of support, I'm sure all writers struggle at times!**

**Anyhoo, this goes back in time to where we left Sookie in the car with Amelia as she leaves Fangtasia.**

* * *

**Sookie**

Amelia and I were both quiet in the car for some time as we headed back towards Bon Temps, but there were still things I wanted to query of her.

"Meels, you said that I should stay away from vampires, but did you know what he was when we first went to the club?"

She looked over at me. "No, I didn't. If I did, I can assure you it would have been the last place I would have taken you. Tray scolded me for not telling him where we were going, and never wanted to meet us there tonight."

"But how…" I started, but Amelia answered me before I could complete the question.

"Well obviously I realised he was a vampire when he went all Superman and jumped in front of a speeding bullet for you, and Tray filled me in on the finer details while you and the Vampire were getting jiggy in the back room."

"I haven't had sex with him," I pointed out.

She looked surprised. "Wow, you must have the willpower of a saint. The man is hot."

"And dangerous," I added. "We may have some kind of semblance of a friendship now, but he has already tried to kill me. It was only the fact of my telepathy that he didn't." Amelia looked horrified. "I couldn't be glamoured," I explained, "and he says it's dangerous for a human to know what they are. It's why he made me take his blood so he could tell if I was lying or not."

"I guess I can see the logic behind that." She looked down at her hands. "I am sorry I brought this all on you, we should never have gone to Fangtasia."

"I'd already met him by then, and he knew I couldn't be glamoured. I don't think I'd have been able to have escaped him altogether."

"When?" she queried.

"I had a business meeting with him, and I guess he was going to glamour me into giving him what he wanted, so he when he couldn't, he knew something was up with me." I didn't want to tell Amelia about the whole 'fairy' thing. It was still a little too much to take in, and I didn't want to endanger Amelia by telling her about it. "Oh, and a vampire also moved in next door to me."

"What?"

"He's called Bill Compton. I met him first a few weeks ago when he tried to glamour me, and then again the first time we went to the club. I haven't seen him since. I think Eric may have something to do with that."

"This is all getting a bit much!" she exclaimed.

"You're telling me!" I said with a laugh. "So tell me, witch, how much do you know about vampires?"

Amelia looked a little ashamed. "I am sorry for not telling you what I am, particularly as I knew what you are. But there's an unofficial code in place that you just don't tell _normal_ people about what else is in the world. I'm sure you can understand why."

"I certainly can, but I wish you had trusted me. What I don't understand is why I couldn't read your mind. You said you had put some kind of spell on me?"

"It was on me rather than you, and more of a ward. It was quite advanced magic, if I say so myself! It worked that when I thought of anything supernatural, you wouldn't hear my thoughts, or you'd be distracted by something else. I know for the most part you don't listen in anyway, but I needed to make sure you wouldn't hear anything you shouldn't."

"So how much did you know of vampires and werewolves?" I queried.

She sighed. "For the most part I try to stay away from it all. When I met Tray I soon found out he was a were, but he's somewhat of a lone wolf, so to speak." She laughed at her own joke. "Werewolves usually run in packs with a hierarchy within it. Alcide is part of the Shreveport pack, and his dad would probably be a contender to be packmaster should anything happen to the current one. Tray stays out of all that, although he has links to them. I guess you could say that he's a freelance wolf.

"Weres in general are okay. Alcide was a real good guy as far as weres go, obviously bar the leave you for some other skank bit." My mind immediately wondered to thinking about quite what Eric was going to do to Debbie. "Vampires, however, are a whole other ballgame. They obviously don't socialise with humans as often, and really, it's pretty rare to find a vampire in such a prominent and public position as Eric Northman seems to be. They are secretive, self-serving, dangerous and bloodthirsty – in more than one way. I know that some of them are pretty old and powerful, and from what Tray says, the Viking is certainly one of them."

"You know, I don't think Vikings did rape and pillage," I scolded, correcting her earlier statement. She just shrugged. "Though I have to admit I'd be fascinated by what he could tell me … think of what it must be like to live for a thousand years!"

Amelia gave me a worried look. "Sookie, really, I don't think you want that kind of relationship with him. He may be incredibly hot, but he also dangerous and ruthless. You say he knows about your telepathy? Is he planning to use it for his own good?"

"We've struck a deal," I told her.

"You have something in writing from him? Something that outlines specifically how he will use you and what you'll be paid? The working hours? Where you will work? Have you thought of any of this?"

I was ashamed to say that I hadn't, and it had been naïve of me to agree to it when those things hadn't been sorted out. I wondered whether it was too late. "No."

"No," she repeated. "I didn't think you had. And trust me when I say it's far too late now."

I took in her words knowing that she was right. But in my defence I had hardly been in a bartering position when it came to my telepathy considering Eric was seconds away from draining me dry. I was lucky enough to get out of it alive. But I couldn't quite work out what my position was with him. We had twice been in the somewhat intimate position of him giving me his blood, and I knew all too well that that in itself was an unusual circumstance.

And then there was the fact that he had saved my life, and not to mention the flirting. He knew that I was affected by him; in fact, since he could sense my emotions he was outright teasing me. But what would happen when it came down to business? He had called me his asset more than once, including in front of a roomful of people. Was that the only reason he saved me? I couldn't help but feel that it was.

We were close to Bon Temps now, and I stopped at my house knowing that Amelia and I still had some talking to do. I pulled up onto the drive and stopped the car. When I didn't say anything, Amelia took my hand and I turned to look at her. "I'm sorry, Sook, I don't mean to upset you or scare you or anything. I'm just going on what Tray has said, and I understand he's in a position of power. He really wouldn't be a good vampire for you to get involved with."

I sighed, she was probably right. "I certainly won't go to Fangtasia clubbing again!"

"Damn straight!"

"Although I guess I won't be able to avoid him altogether being that he knows of my telepathy. How well do you know vampires?" I asked her.

"I've met a few over the years. In fact, my old housemate was one. I knew her when she was human and she lived in the apartment above me in my old house in New Orleans. I think she'd been seeing this female vamp for a while, and eventually she turned her. I didn't see her so often after that."

I was shocked to see an image of Hadley flick into her mind, and it took a lot of skill to not give away my surprise and interest.

"When did she become a vampire?" I asked innocently.

"About six months before I moved up here." I had a horrible sinking feeling in my stomach. "Why?"

"Your housemate, it was Hadley, right?"

"How do you know that?"

"Meels, she's my cousin. I saw her in your mind. Please tell me, what led you to move to Bon Temps?"

"I came here years ago when I was kid with my dad. He used to take me on business trips with him sometimes, and we used to drive up to Shreveport. We always used to visit small towns on our trips, and this one always stuck with me. When I wanted to escape my dad and his bullshit, it seemed the perfect place. Why are you so worried?"

"Meels, will you let me look to see if you've been glamoured?"

"You can tell? Sure."

"Yeah, the screaming waitress at Fangtasia had a mind that resembled Swiss cheese. It was a miracle she knew how to put one foot in front of the other!"

Amelia smiled along with me and I felt her relax. She again thought of the memories she had of Bon Temps and I was very relieved to see that they seemed natural in the way they evoked other related memories. She then thought of Hadley as a vampire, and I saw another redheaded, well-dressed vampire with her. I couldn't help but wonder whether she was the Queen.

"So?" Amelia asked when I relaxed into the seat of the car.

"All seems good. I just … I told you about my creepy neighbour … Well, Eric seems to think that he may have been sent to Bon Temps because of my telepathy, and he thinks that Hadley may have been the source."

"Ah."

"Yeah, exactly."

"You really are in up to your eyeballs aren't you?"

"I'm afraid so. But I'm really trying to just get on with things. I'm sure that Eric will tell me when he wants anything, and when he does I will try my best to get some kind of contract out of him."

"Sounds a good idea." We both turned to see Tray's truck pulling up onto my drive. "I guess that's my chariot. Take care, Sook, and call me if you need anything. If necessary I can put some wards on you house to keep unwanted visitors away. Just let me know."

"Will do." We both climbed out of my Mercedes and I gave her a hug before she drove off with Tray.

I was still a little angry that her, Alcide and Tray had all hidden what they were from me, but I supposed that I didn't blame them. I went on into the house, grabbing a quick bite to eat, taking a shower and then climbing into bed. I really wasn't feeling that tired, so I sat up reading the mystery I had picked up from the store a few weeks earlier.

When I heard a tap at my window, my first thought was that I was dreaming, but I soon realised it was very real and Eric really was floating outside my window. I swallowed down my embarrassment and let him in. Of course he somehow managed to guess that I'd had that exact fantasy of him, and I had to admit that I wouldn't have stopped him if he had touched me, but the whole time he kept a distance between us. Even if it was only inches at times.

I was surprised when he handed me back my phone. I assumed he'd have kept it or at least searched through it, but everything seemed in order. He'd offered to pay for the replacement, which seemed sweet of him, but I couldn't help but feel disappointed when he mentioned about buying drinks for us when we went back to Fangtasia.

I'd already told Amelia I wouldn't go back, and I meant it, but I still felt strangely drawn to him. I knew it probably was the blood bond that we shared, and it was quite an effort to remain resolute and not allow him to have his way with me. Even though there was a significant part of me that was more than willing to serve myself on a platter to him.

When he left, I couldn't help but wonder when I'd get to see him again. I knew it was stupid and dangerous to think about him, but I loved the quiet of his mind. And then not to mention the fact that he was very easy on the eye, and that he exuded such a strong sense of power and confidence it was almost intoxicating.

The following week, everything seemed surprisingly normal. I didn't hear from or see any vampires, and I knew well enough that I could detect them by scanning any area and searching for the distinctive void. In some ways I was disappointed that he wasn't checking on me, but I figured it was safest to be well away from that world.

Obviously, however, that world didn't agree.

It was a Monday that I'd been working from home when there was an unexpected knock at the door. It was just past midday on a cold yet sunny late November day, and I instinctively scanned the mind at the door. I could sense that there was a mind there, and there wasn't a void like a vampire, but I couldn't get a read on the person.

Which meant that they weren't human.

I didn't know what to do. I had no means of contacting Eric – and he'd be dead to the world anyway – and I knew Amelia was in Shreveport. As were Tray and Alcide. When the knock repeated, I just took a deep breath and went to answer the door.

Stood on my porch was probably the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She was ethereal, with long and shiny mahogany hair and bright green eyes. Quite simply she looked like she could be a supermodel as she was at least six foot tall and was not even wearing heels. She was dressed in a pink and purple silk dress and I felt very plain in comparison to her.

"Hi … can I help you?"

She gave me a warm smile. "I feel that I may be able to help you actually, Sookie."

"How do you know me?"

"I know all about you." She smiled again, and strangely I didn't find what she was saying to be at all sinister. "My name's Claudine Crane, and I suppose you could call me your fairy god-mother! Although I'm more of a cousin, actually."

I was stunned. "Fairy?"

She lifted up her hair at the side of her head and I saw a pair of pointed ears that looked like they came from a Star Trek or Lord of the Rings convention. "Yes, I am Fae. I understand that you know of your heritage?"

"Um … to some extent. Please excuse me; this is all a lot to take in."

"I'm sorry, and I do understand. But I'm here to explain this to you, if you'll let me."

She had such a warm and welcoming gaze that I couldn't help but trust her. "Sure. Come on in." I stepped back to let her in and led her to the kitchen. "Can I get you something to drink? Tea, coffee, water … do you even eat and drink?"

She laughed a little. "Yes, we eat and drink. In fact, I have quite a healthy appetite, but I've just eaten so I won't have to eat you out of house and home. But a glass of water would be good. No lemon."

"Sure."

I grabbed a bottle out of the fridge and gave her a glass before pouring myself one last cup of coffee for the day. I sat down in a seat opposite to her.

"So … you mentioned that you're my cousin?"

"I am, but first I need to explain some things to you." I nodded for her to continue. "This is going to come as quite a shock to you, and I'm sorry that I have to tell you this." She paused briefly before continuing. "The man you knew as your Grandfather … he is not your real grandfather. As a young man he contracted a disease that meant he could not have children. Your grandmother knew this, and loved him all the same, but she longed for children. It was then that she met Fintan, your real grandfather."

"And he is a fairy?" I asked, still finding this hard to take in.

"His mother was human, but his father is full fairy. Fintan was my uncle."

"Was?" I queried.

"He died recently, but I will come to that later. Fintan gave your grandmother two children, and although her husband knew they were not his, he loved them and raised them just the same. He was a truly compassionate man." To knowingly raise someone else's children like that as your own he must have been.

"Why could my real grandfather not raise my dad and aunt?"

She gave a sorrowful smile. "It would have been too dangerous, for him and for everyone. But he always watched over you. He tried to protect you; when your parents died he was devastated that he could not protect them, and he kept you and your brother a secret from even his own family."

There seemed to be something that I wasn't being told. "My parents' death … was it because my dad was part fairy?"

She looked regretful. "Yes. The Fae realm is split into houses that relate to the elements. You are part of the ruling Air family, but there have always been tension between the Air and Water fairies. Your parents were killed by two water fairies." Her face was a picture of regret. "I am sorry, Sookie."

"And my grandfather… Fintan?"

"Him as well, but only very recently. It is how I have come to know of you. Your great-grandfather, my own grandfather, is the Prince of the realm. You are one-eighth Fae, although you come from a strong bloodline. You also possess the essential spark, which no one else in your family has done before you. That puts you at risk."

Great. Well that was just what I needed! I seemed to be having enough problems with vampires, but now I had killer fairies on my tail as well.

"What does it mean to have the essential spark? Is that my telepathy?"

She studied me. "Telepathy is not a Fae trait, certainly not an Air Fairy trait, anyway. But to have the essential spark means that you show potential, that you have a connection to the world around you. It is likely that you could be quite magical."

I was stunned. "Okay, so what now?" I asked her.

"I came by today to talk to you and see whether you would be willing to let some of your Fae family into your life. Your great-grandfather would very much like to come by and talk to you. Would you be willing to meet with him tomorrow?"

"Sure. This can't exactly get any crazier!"

She smiled. "Thank you, Sookie, he will be here at midday. I want to be a friend and cousin to you, but know that I will always be looking out on you. I will try everything I can to keep you safe."

Strangely, that didn't make things seem any better. "Thanks." I didn't know what else to say.

I showed my new cousin out of the house and sank down onto the porch swing. Things just seemed to be getting crazier and crazier and I was already yearning for normality. I had the distinct feeling that normality was not something I was going to get.

I spent the rest of the day focussing hard on the work I had to do. Luckily I had planned to work from home on the Tuesday as well, so it was no major inconvenience that my great-grandfather was going to come by. At around seven in the evening, I stopped working and started cooking myself a meal of jambalaya with some crusty bread.

However, I was interrupted by the sound of a car coming up the drive. Seeing that it was already dark outside, I found myself hoping that it might have been Eric, but when I peeked out of the window I immediately recognised Alcide's truck. I went to the front door and let him in wordlessly.

He looked drained and not a well man, and I could only imagine that it was something to do with Debbie and probably Eric. I didn't like to think what he would have done to her, and I wished I had thought to ask when he came to my room.

"How are you?" I asked after handing him a beer. He twisted off the top and drank it down in one go.

"I've been better."

"I'm sorry about Debbie," I said, meaning it.

"She tried to kill you, Sook. It should be me apologising to you."

"It was hardly your fault she was crazy," I suddenly backtracked. "You didn't know she had the gun did you?"

"No! Honestly Sook, I had no idea she had it. Trust me, I know Northman well enough to know that bringing a gun into his club is not a smart move."

"Is she …" I swallowed. "Is she dead?"

"Yes. Northman said it was quick and he has no reason to lie."

"I am sorry she's dead, Alcide. You don't deserve that."

He shrugged. "Maybe, but she knew what she was doing. I'm just incredibly fucking glad that he did save you. And trust me, trying to shoot anyone in his club would have been severely punished. Obviously she didn't know you were his, but…" he trailed off. "What's going on, Sook."

I sighed. "It's kind of complicated. I'm not sleeping with him, if that's what you think, but I suppose we have a kind of business arrangement."

"Because you're a telepath?" I looked at him in stunned silence. I was surprised Eric had told him that.

"Yes. He apparently considers by disability useful."

"I bet he does," he muttered under his breath. He sat up straight in his chair and looked at me. "I'm not going to tell you to stay away from him as it would probably kill me, but just be careful. Vampires aren't known for their patience, and him in particular. He saved your life in taking that bullet, and I can't imagine he did it from the goodness of his dead heart. Just promise me you'll look after yourself?"

I sighed. "Trust me, I'm damned well going to try my best. These have really been a crazy few weeks."

"I can imagine. And I really am sorry, Sook. I'm sorry for hurting you and I really am sorry for Debbie. I wish things could have been different, but I had to be with her. When it comes to breeding, only the first-born will be a were and I had to continue the bloodline, but if you and I had a child … it wouldn't have been guaranteed. I'd have been expected to mate with a were anyway, and I couldn't do that to you. I am sorry."

"Thanks for explaining it to me." I leant across and took his warm hand in mine. He placed a chaste kiss on the back of my hand before letting it go and standing.

"I should be off. I wanted to see you and apologise. Please know that if there is anything I can ever do for you, I will do."

"Thanks, Alcide."

He gave me a sorrowful look before walking to his truck and driving away. It was good to understand his reasoning on our break-up, but that didn't mean I agreed with it. It seemed crazy that he'd be expected to mate with another were if he'd married me, and he was damn right that I would have been pissed with him for cheating on me.

**oOo**

I didn't really know what to do with myself in the hours leading up to my great-grandfather's visit. This wasn't an everyday occurrence, and I found that I couldn't concentrate on working, so I pottered around the house, tidying, sweeping and polishing. At twelve noon precisely there was a knock at the door.

The man stood behind the door was not what I expected. He was tall and slim and looked to be in his late fifties. He had kind blue eyes and long pale blond hair that was tied simply at the base of his head. He had an air of regality about him and somehow I could sense that he was very powerful. Like Claudine, I could not read his mind at all.

"Great-Granddaughter," he started, opening his arms wide. "My name is Niall Brigant."

I smiled nervously and accepted his hug, his arms wrapping tightly around me for a brief moment before releasing me. "Please, come in Niall."

He followed me inside but declined my drinks offer. "You must have some questions," he stated once we were both sat down in the living room.

"I don't even know where to start," I admitted. "When I was first told I was part-Fae I really didn't know what it meant. But meeting you now? I guess it's made it all very real. I suppose my biggest questions are what does it mean for me, and why have you come to see me now?"

"Your two questions are intricately linked," he said cryptically. "I understand you found out about your heritage from the vampire Eric Northman?"

"Yes, do you know him?"

"I have come across the North-Man in my time."

"In your time? How old are you?"

"In Faery, time is different, but in earth years I am a little over eight-hundred years old."

"And you don't look a day over fifty!"

He smiled, kindly. "You must be careful around vampires. They are a natural enemy to our kind and many fairies have died at their hands. It seems that fairy blood is quite intoxicating to a vampire. You are probably lucky that Northman has more control than most."

I really had no idea how he knew so much.

"Claudine told you about your heritage?" he asked me.

"Yes, although I'm still struggling to believe it. I had no idea my Gran had that kind of secret."

"I believe that although your Gran loved the man you knew as your grandfather, she did also love my son. In fact, I understand they stayed in contact over the years."

"Okay …"

"Sookie, you asked what this means for you, and I have to say for the most part it is not good. Claudine and I have hidden our steps in coming to see you and we will do everything we can do to keep you safe. The Fae are at war, and those who are of mixed parentage are most at risk. There are those within my species that believe we never should have diluted the gene pool by breeding with humans."

"So I'm a mud-blood?" I asked quietly, more to myself than him.

It seemed he ignored my question. "And they are willing to kill the half-breeds. They also believe that all the fairy portals should be closed."

"Fairy portals? What are they?"

"They are links between my world and yours. They are immensely powerful and magical places. There is one on your land near here."

My land. Why did I know it was the same land that Eric had been trying to buy from me? I didn't know how much my great-grandfather knew about my business dealings, so I proposed to ask him about it.

"Are you talking about the land my grandmother told me not to sell? The same land that Eric Northman tried to glamour me into selling to him?"

Niall gave a small smile. "That doesn't surprise me of the Viking. He is ever the opportunist. As a vampire he could never get into Faery, and any Fae worth their salt would know there were vampires lurking around the portal, but he knows the true worth of the land." He paused briefly. "My son was being clever in giving the land to your Gran, and he did it legally so it is recognised in both my world and yours. But I fear now that it will lead unwanted attention towards you. The reason I am here today is that I want you to sell the land to the vampire."

"What?" I spluttered. "Why? My Gran told me specifically to never sell it."

"I know, and she would have been told that by Fintan. However, my son is now dead and you are my responsibility."

"But why sell it to him? Why not anyone else?"

"Because he is vampire. To close any portal the landowner must give his or her permission. For the most part they are owned by fairies, but this one is outside of fairy control. Right now, it is too easy for you to be captured and tortured in order for you to pass the land on. But if it's in vampire hands, and particularly one such as Northman, no fairy would willingly approach him to sell the land."

I was beyond confused. "But aren't you worried about what he wanted the land for?"

"I have my ideas why he would want it, and you will need to get him to tell you. But either way, it will be better if he owns it than you. I believe his lawyer is Mr Cataliades?" I nodded. "Good, he is a demon and would know how to handle the transaction so it is by both human and Fae law. It needs to be legal and above board."

I was struggling getting past the 'he's a demon' bit. "Do I tell him all this? About my relationship to you?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment. "You will have to. He is wise and will question why you are changing your mind. I wish I could explain this further to you, as I am sure you have many more questions for me. But I have been gone long enough and the process will take its time."

He stood up and handed me a pile of papers. I could see on the front the intricate handwriting and signature of my grandfather, along with my Gran's recognisable scrawl. If I hadn't believed it before, I certainly did then.

"Do I go tonight?" I asked him.

"It will be best. Give Northman my regards." He took my hand and pulled me into a hug again. It seemed that fairies were a very tactile race. "Oh, and for your own safety you would be wise to shower and wash the clothes you are wearing. I have masked my scent as much as I can, but it would be safest for you to wash my scent off you before you go and see the vampire."

"Um, sure. Will I see you again?"

"I hope so, Sookie. Take care."

I said my goodbyes and thought through what had been said. I had been very sceptical about selling the land, but I did believe him. Being around him and Claudine the day before had just felt _right_. Like somehow I did belong to them. Therefore I was willing to trust them and do as Niall had asked. I still wanted answers from Eric, and I also wanted to know what he knew about my great-grandfather as they seemed to be old acquaintances.

I sat down to some work in the afternoon, and as soon as it got dark I showered thoroughly then pulled on a new jeans, my favourite long-sleeved black top and trusted heeled boots. It wasn't the normal Fangtasia-wear, but I wasn't there to fit in. I placed the papers into my oversized purse and jumped in my car to head towards Shreveport.

When I arrived, Pam was at the door, and she immediately waved me over and let me in. I saw a brief look of curiosity as she saw me, but she didn't comment.

"He's in his office. Go on back."

I gave her my thanks and walked through the club in the direction of the office I'd been taken on my first visit to Fangtasia. I could feel that the eyes of the vampires and weres in the room were on me, and I was certain it was because I had been declared as Eric's asset and he'd taken a bullet for me. It made me very glad that I couldn't read vampires and struggled with weres, as I could assume their thoughts were not complimentary.

Eric called out for me to come in as soon as I reached his office, and I sat down opposite him. He made a show of stretching his arms, very much for my benefit, and I did everything I could to remain unaffected by him. He was the one who had tried to kill me, after all.

"I need to talk to you about something," I stated when he didn't say anything.

"Okay, go on." He leaned in and closed some of the space between us.

"I want to take you up on your offer."

"And what offer would that be, Sookie?"

His voice was pure sex, and it was clear as to what offer he thought I meant. I took a breath to compose myself.

"I want to sell you the land."

* * *

**Sorry to leave it there again, but it seemed a good place. Next chapter should be up by the weekend.**

**I'd love to know your thoughts and comments.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks for the great response to the last chapter, I thought you'd all be annoyed with me for stopping there!**

**Anyway, we continue with Sookie's POV.**

* * *

Eric's face was a mask, but I was sure I briefly saw it slip with surprise at my announcement. He leaned back in his chair again and regarded me, his fingertips pressed together and his thumbs under his chin.

"And why would you want to do that?" he queried.

I didn't know how much to tell him this early on, so I decided to use his own avoidance tactic and ask him a question.

"I need to know first why you want the land. What do you intend to do with it?"

He gave me an appraising look and leaned forward again. "You come here and tell me you want to sell me your land, and _then_ ask me what I want it for?" Luckily, his question was rhetorical. "I suspect that you will sell me the land either way, so I will not be telling you what I want with it. So again I ask you, why have you changed your mind?"

This wasn't going how I had wanted it to. And he was probably right; I should have asked him first and told him I would sell it to him if he gave me his reason. I was normally a much better negotiator than this, and maybe I did rely too much on reading people to judge how to handle any given situation. When it came to him, he was older and smarter than me, and completely unreadable. In more ways than one.

I decided to try a different line of attack. "How well do you know Niall Brigant?"

I had been studying him closely and I didn't miss the rise of one eyebrow. "Why are you asking me about him?"

We weren't going to get anywhere if we both asked each other questions. One of us was going to have to give way, and I had a feeling it was going to have to be me.

"Because he visited me today."

Eric suddenly stood up from behind his desk and pulled me up out of my chair. He ran his nose along my neck and hair, obviously smelling me, before taking a step back.

"I can smell him very faintly on you." He obviously hadn't believed me.

"He told me to shower and change before I came here."

"Very sensible," he said with a smirk.

He gave me a brief shove in the direction of the large leather sofa I'd been sat on the previous times I'd been in his office and he sat on the same wooden chair opposite me. I fidgeted nervously waiting for him to continue questioning me.

"Tell me why the Prince of the Fae came to see you." It was a command, not a question.

"He is my great-grandfather."

For a split-second, he looked surprised. "You are of the royal line? No wonder you taste so delicious." He was back to leering again at me and his fangs were down.

I tried to ignore his suggestive tone. "Other than tasting delicious, what does it mean to be of the royal line? I don't know anything about him. Do you know him well?"

He leaned back a little and retracted his fangs. "I have known Brigant for many centuries. He has been in a position of power for some time, despite having many enemies even within his own family. He is a powerful man, with great magic at his disposal. But you must understand that the Fae are conniving, violent, manipulative, self-serving and dangerous. They…"

"Sounds like someone else I know," I muttered sarcastically under my breath.

In an instant, Eric was pinning me hard into the sofa, his fangs dangerously low and an evil glint in his eye. I was almost sure I could feel the anger radiating from him, and there was a low, feral-sounding growl radiating from his chest. I had never felt so scared. Even the previous times he'd attacked me, it didn't seem quite as bad as this.

"Tell me why I shouldn't drain you dry," he growled between clenched teeth.

I didn't know what to do. There was a part of me that wanted to give in; to cry and plead for my life, but there was another part of me that was angry with him for treating me like this. I was tired of being pushed around by him.

Somehow, I began to feel the air intensify around me. I felt like I could locate each and every particle in the air; that I could draw energy from them. Then suddenly, and I had no idea how, the air around me thickened further and with a loud clap that resembled a sonic boom, Eric was thrown from me and landed with force on the other side of the office.

I was stunned. It was obviously something I'd done, but I had no idea how or what I had done. I looked over at the pile of broken furniture where Eric had landed to make sure that he was okay. He hadn't seemed to have moved, so I stood up tentatively to go and check on him. But almost as soon as I had taken one shaky step, Pam flew into the room, looking briefly at Eric on the floor and then back to me. Before I knew what was happening I was again being pinned against the sofa once more, and this time considerably rougher.

She had her hand tightly around the base of my neck, her long fangs shining with saliva before she bit viciously into my neck. It wasn't like the gentle bite Eric had given me as she was savagely drinking from me in large mouthfuls, and not being too careful about it either, as I felt streams of blood trickle down my neck and into my black top.

I tried screaming, but she placed her free hand firmly over my mouth to stop me. I knew that this was her draining me. I was terrified and I could feel my life force slipping away from me. I was paralysed in her arms and there was nothing I could do.

"Pamela, retract your fangs," I heard faintly from somewhere in the room. "Now!" She did just that, but her grip on my throat only seemed to increase. I opened my eyes to see her bright blue ones boring into mine, a somewhat glazed expression on her face. "Let go of her and stand by the door."

Eric had obviously ordered her to do so, as she begrudgingly complied with his request, but her eyes never left me. I looked up to see that Eric was now standing, although he did have a blood stain in his hairline where he must have hit his head when crashing into the furniture. He came over and knelt by me, a glazed expression on his face and a battle raging in his eyes.

"You smell like fairy," he whispered, almost too faint to hear.

He moved an inch closer to me and I felt my fear spike once more. This time I knew there was no way I could replicate what I had done earlier as I had only fear coursing through my veins. I had the distinct feeling that my time was up, and maybe it would be a relief. I'd already been shot at and nearly drained, who knew what else was coming my way.

Eric leaned in closer to me, and I braced myself for him to finish me off. But rather than biting, he simply licked at the wounds Pam had inflicted and seemingly healed them as well. Eric took a step away from me and picked up the wooden chair that had been knocked over.

"You are scared," he said, stating the obvious.

I tried to speak but my mouth was parched and my throat felt like it had been crushed within an inch of its life. Assuming I made it out alive, I was going to have some serious bruising around my neck.

"Pam, go and get some water for Miss Stackhouse."

She looked indignant. "Eric, I don't –"

He didn't give her chance to finish her sentence. "Now!"

She gave him a look and stomped out of the room in a childish fashion. In many ways, I was still more scared of Eric than I was Pam, and I supposed I didn't blame her for defending her Maker the way she did.

Eric turned his attention back to me. "I apologise for her behaviour. She was protecting me and became intoxicated by the fairy smell that came from that bit of magic you performed."

"Magic?" I whispered hoarsely.

"Don't try to speak. Yes, what you just performed was powerful stuff. And fairy magic in close contact has a distinctive flavour that is very reminiscent of fairy blood. That is why Pam was unable to control herself."

The vampire in question came in and passed the bottle of ice-cold water to Eric before standing by the door again. He kindly undid the lid and passed it to me. I took a good few swigs to relieve my parched mouth, although it did nothing for the pain that came from Pam's attack.

"I think it may also have been because I sent you flying across the room," I said in an attempt at a joke.

"That as well," he agreed. He placed a cool finger on my throat where Pam's hands been. "You are hurt," his voice sounded annoyed, but luckily it was not me he was annoyed with. He said something in a language I didn't understand to Pam, but from the tone I could tell he was reprimanding her. I only hoped this didn't get me in further trouble with his child. When he was finished, she nodded her head once and left the room. "I could give you my blood, if you wish. It will heal you."

"Not a chance," I told him, remembering all too well that he had told me the bond would become permanent at three exchanges.

He smiled ruefully. "I should never have told you about the three exchanges rule."

"You would lie to me?" I questioned.

"No, Sookie, I wouldn't lie to you. I may not tell you everything, but what I do tell you is the truth."

I sank back into the sofa and shut my eyes. Although Eric was still in the room and knelt at my feet, I felt like I needed a moment to myself, and with his silent mind I could do that easily. I'd only known about all this for a few weeks, but in that time I'd been nearly killed by both Eric and Pam, been shot at by a crazy were, discovered that my best friend was a witch, my ex-boyfriend was a werewolf, that I was descended from fairies and I had some crazy kick-ass super powers.

It was too much to take in and I really needed some normality back. I wanted to get away from it all to a place where no one would know me.

"What are you thinking," Eric asked me after a few minutes. "Your emotions are all over the place."

I opened my eyes to look at him. "I'm thinking I've had enough of all this. I don't care if my great-grandfather wants me to sell the land to you; I've had enough. I want out. I wish you could just glamour me into forgetting, as I don't want any of it. I'm going home."

I stood up, grabbed my bag, which was still over by his desk and walked out of the office. I had to admit I was surprised that he didn't stop me. I knew that it would be better not to go through the bar, as I no doubt still had blood all over me and my blood was apparently some form of vampire crack. I left through the back exit of the club and headed to my car, relieved that there weren't too many people around to see me.

But by the time I got to my car, Eric was waiting patiently at the passenger side.

"Go away," I snapped at him.

"You can't escape this now. It is what you are. There are more vampires around than you realise, and they will be able to tell that you have had vampire blood. And not to mention the fact that your great-grandfather will always be able to find you because of your blood link to him. I appreciate this is a lot to take in, but there is no running from this."

That may well be the case, but I really wasn't in the mood to deal with Eric's shit. I violently opened the car door and climbed in, only to find that Eric had installed himself in the passenger seat of my car.

Before I could say anything, he spoke again. "You have lost a lot of blood. I am not letting you out of my sight until you are at home."

I scowled at him. "Fine."

We drove in silence for around twenty minutes until Eric made an executive decision on where we were heading. "Drive to your land. I will tell you what you want to know."

I glared at him briefly before nodding and driving silently to the small parking lot that was located near the land in question. The actual plot that Eric had tried to buy from me was around four acres in size. It had a few trees dotted around and a clearing in the middle where it dipped to a small yet lush pond. I'd always found the place to be magical when I was a child, and I had often begged my Gran to take me there when I was young.

It was pitch dark when we arrived at the land, and where he might have perfect night vision, I certainly didn't. I left the car headlights on full, which cast an eerie light across the land and I grabbed a powerful flashlight out of the trunk.

I wordlessly took a few steps before noticing that Eric wasn't following me.

"You'll need to invite me on. This place works very much like your own home."

"Can I rescind your invitation later?" I asked.

"You can," he replied with a wink.

"Eric, please come onto my land."

He stepped forward to join me, and we walked in silence to the centre of the land by the pond. I wrapped my arms around myself, annoyed that I didn't think to bring a coat, as the weather was much cooler than I had anticipated. Eric seamlessly slipped off the leather jacket he'd obviously picked up before he left Fangtasia and draped it over my shoulders.

"Thank you," I said with a small smile. It was cool like it hadn't been worn, but it smelt distinctly of him.

"You were cold."

I shone the flashlight around the area, focusing on the pond and the seven large rocks around the rim. I had never really understood the significance of the land, but now I really could see that there was something otherworldly about it. I turned to Eric to see that his fangs were down, and I couldn't help but back away from him slightly.

"I won't hurt you, Sookie."

I tried to feel comforted by his words, but considering he had already pinned me to the sofa once that night, I had to admit that I wasn't too sure.

"I apologise for Pam hurting like she did. She will be punished."

"You don't have to do that."

"I do. She needs to know that behaviour like that will not be tolerated. You are mine."

Right. More of the 'you are mine' crap. I decided it would be better to keep my mouth shut, but I was sure he could probably feel my annoyance. Luckily, he changed the subject. "Your great-grandfather came through this portal earlier today. Another as well that I do not recognise, although the scent is maybe a day older."

"My cousin Claudine came to see me yesterday. I never even thought to ask how they both got to my house. I don't remember seeing a car for either of them."

"Full blooded fairies have the ability to teleport," he explained. "Whether you would be able to do that I do not know."

"I'm only one-eight Fae. I'd doubt it."

"Maybe," he mused. "But you are of a strong bloodline and you have already shown to have considerable power."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I really didn't plan on doing anything like that."

"It was a defence mechanism for you. Yet you didn't do it when Pam was attacking you."

"No, it was strange … when you were pinning me to the sofa I felt angry at you. It was strange … I could almost sense the air around me thickening, and it was as if I had some kind of control over it. I really didn't mean to send you flying."

"What was different with Pam?"

"I was just scared. Terrified, in fact. I thought she was going to kill me."

"You gave up," he reprimanded. "Sookie, if you get in that kind of situation again you have to fight. Find some anger from somewhere and fight." I didn't quite understand why he was so riled. Obviously feeling my confusion, he continued. "Sookie, you are of the royal line. You are going to have enemies and you need to know how to defend yourself. You are descended from Air or Sky fairies, hence your ability to control the air particles around you."

That explained it to some extent. "I don't understand how I was able to do that today, yet I wasn't able to do so the previous times you have pinned me down."

He looked mildly regretful before speaking. "Tell me, did the Prince touch you when he came to see you?"

"Yes, he hugged me and gave me a kiss when he left. Both him and Claudine seemed very tactile."

"I understand the Fae are. Although not with vampires, for obvious reasons." He gave me a toothy smile that just bordered on being sinister. "It is very likely that your contact with your kin has ignited the essential spark within you. Who knows what other abilities you may have acquired."

"Claudine mentioned something about an 'essential spark'," I mused.

"It just means one who has the potential to have Fae abilities."

"So I'm a freaking super-hero," I muttered under my breath.

Eric gave me an appraising look and went to sit by the pond on of the large rocks around the rim. He nodded his head for me to join him and I sat at the rock next to him. He turned to face me.

"I think we need to try and trust each other."

I raised an eyebrow. "Maybe if you stopped trying to eat me all the time, I might be able to."

Luckily, Eric saw the humour in my statement. "Sookie, you seem to have the ability to rile me like no other breather I have ever met."

"I think you just mean that you haven't been able to glamour the heck out of me. And I'm not too sure I like the term 'breather'."

He shook his head. "This is what I mean. Most beings, whether vampire, were or human do not answer me back. You, however, seem to have some kind of death wish, as I certainly do not consider you to be stupid."

"That's something, I suppose," I said. "But you must understand that this is all very new to me. I've had a hell of a lot of new information piled on to me in the last few weeks, and I too am not used to answering to anyone. I am my own boss in business and in life, and I do not want to feel like I'm some kind of inferior being."

The vampire took in what I was saying and looked thoughtful. I took a moment to steady myself and played with some nearby foliage. It was a clear night and now that my eyes had adjusted to the darkness, I could see him even in the faint moonlight. It didn't escape my attention that he looked spectacular.

"You are more than human," he eventually said in a way that seemed it was meant to be a compliment. "But for a vampire, we are top of the food chain. Humans are our source of food. You consider yourself to be higher than a cow or sheep?"

"Yes … but cows and sheep don't have lives, jobs or a consciousness. Humans are not cattle."

"There are vampires that do not agree with that."

"And you?" I asked.

He paused for a moment. "I have never disrespected humans. I am not a vampire to have ever kept pets, I –"

I had to interrupt at that. "I'm sorry, pets?"

"Well-glamoured humans. Companions, as it were."

"I think the term 'companion' implies an equal relationship, or friend. A pet is a domesticated animal kept for amusement. Which one is it?" I was getting a little annoyed.

"Your second definition would be more accurate." He gave me a challenging look, and when I didn't say anything else, he continued. "As I was saying, I have never kept 'pets'. I have always deemed it unnecessary. Some vampires view humans as little more than slaves to be fed from and fucked. I have not."

"So what have you done to get your sex and blood?" I wasn't entirely sure I would like the answer.

"Sookie, I have had many women, but I have never once had to force anyone to have sex with me."

He shot me a challenging eyebrow raise and I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from saying anything, but I could certainly understand why he wouldn't struggle to find a bed mate.

He continued. "I only use my glamour for the biting part. I can hardly have humans remembering that they have been bitten." I could understand that. "Of course, there is talk of the vampires coming out of the coffin, as it were."

I could not have been more stunned, and he no doubt felt it as he chucked gently. "What?" I asked ineloquently.

"There are those vampires, and many who are in power, that wish vampires to make themselves known. It will certainly make things easier for us in many ways: I wouldn't have to glamour women into forgetting me, and I don't doubt that they would be queuing around the block to get the chance to sleep with me." He gave me a smug grin. "But there are downsides as well. There are some vampires who have not moved with the times; those that still live in little more than caves or in the catacombs of Paris."

"As in Anne Rice?" I interrupted.

"Indeed," he smiled. "I also fear that there will be humans who will not respond well to the knowledge that vampires exist. We will be seen as the children of Satan, and I don't doubt that religious groups will condemn us."

"Being in the South won't help with that."

"Very true."

"So how are you all going to sell it to us mere humans that we're not actually at the top of the food chain."

He smiled wryly at my repetition of his words. "We have good PR. And anyway, there is soon to be a new blood substitute on the market."

"Blood substitute?"

"A Japanese invention. It is synthetic and will provide the sustenance necessary for a vampire to survive." He was pulling his face up at the thought of it.

"But let me guess: it tastes like shit."

"I have not tasted 'shit', and nor have I tried the blood. But it smells foul. I made Compton drink a few bottles." Nothing less than he deserved.

"So would vampires drink it?"

"They will if there is little else to drink. I don't doubt that the authorities will issue an edict that tells vampires they must be seen drinking it."

"But you won't be."

"No self-respecting vampire would drink only that stuff. Maybe in time it may get better, but I can assure you I have no intention of drinking it." I was fairly sure he was eying my neck, and I unconsciously brought my hair forward. "I will not bite you without your permission," he said softly in a voice, which was strangely reassuring.

We were both silent for a few minutes before I asked him the question I needed to know the answer of. "So what is with this land? Why were you so keen to buy it from me? I take it that it's because of the fairy portal?"

"You are right. Although if you were thinking I want it just so I can wait here to snack on any passing fairies, that is not the case. Annoyingly, they're hard to catch at the best of times and they have the habit of travelling around this world in the daylight."

"Funny, that."

"Maybe so. Sookie, you must realise that this land is highly magical. There are many magical beings in this world, some of which I have only ever heard of and not seen. This piece of land is highly valued within the magical community. I'm not saying there wouldn't those vampires who didn't want it for the reason of capturing a fairy, or sprite, or other being, but that is not my reason."

"What is your reason?"

"I am unsure of how much your great-grandfather told you, but the Fae are at war. Most portals are in Fae hands, and many have been destroyed by fairies who do not wish there to be human interaction. You could say that some believe in a form of ethnic cleansing."

I was horrified of even his use of the term, but remembering that Claudine had said my own parents had been killed because my father was one-quarter Fae, I could understand his use.

"Therefore any portal that could be taken or bought would be highly valuable. I am an opportunist, Sookie. If I owned it, I would not expect the Fae to approach me any time soon, but I have always planned for the long term. It is very likely that this portal could become important and therefore valuable in centuries to come."

"Centuries," I muttered to myself.

"Your life span is a blink of an eye to a vampire. Decades roll into centuries, and eventually centuries roll into millennia." He briefly had a world-weary look in his eyes before he composed himself. "I believe it is your turn to explain your change of heart, although you have already said that Niall has something to do with it."

"He does. And my reasons are fairly similar to yours. Niall did not give me the full details, but he wishes the land to be in your hands, as the landowner must give permission for the portal to be closed or destroyed. He fears that I would be captured and tortured into selling the land."

He looked thoughtful. "I understand his reasoning. I didn't think about it before, but it is highly dangerous for the land to be in your hands. As I said before, fairies can be evil and vicious creatures and I would not like to think of what they may do to you."

He seemed strangely concerned for me, and I could see that there was some kind of battle raging within him. I remained silent until he spoke again.

"The Prince is firmly in the camp that the portals should remain open," he informed me. "And despite our differences, he and I have been allied in the past." He thought for a moment more. "I will accept your offer to sell, Miss Stackhouse. Now we just need to negotiate over the price."

He gave me a smouldering look and I swallowed thickly. He stood up suddenly and extended a hand to me.

"Miss Stackhouse, I am feeling very hungry. Have you eaten?"

I took his hand and he gently pulled me up. "Um … no, I haven't eaten since lunchtime, although I'm not sure I entirely want to be on the menu."

He laughed loudly, a booming sound coming from deep within his chest. It was joyous and free-spirited, and I couldn't help but laugh along with him.

"Much as I wish you were on the menu, my Sookie, as you no doubt taste much better than anything else on offer, there are such establishments that cater for the Supe world. They even offer a blood 'wine' list. So come, let's get us both fed and we will discuss the finer points of this contract."

He gave me wink and picked up the flashlight for me.

"Sure, why not."

I had officially lost the plot.

* * *

**So, dinner with the vampire … a good idea or not?**

**I'd love to know your thoughts.**

**:=)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks for reading and for your reviews, alerts and favourites.**

**Sookie POV to start with, but Eric down below.**

* * *

"Do you think we could pop by my house so I can have a quick shower and change before we go?" I asked Eric as we got back to my car. I didn't doubt that I still had blood inside my t-shirt, and possibly in my hair. We both climbed into the car and I buckled my seatbelt. Eric didn't.

"A good idea. You smell of blood, and yours is particularly appealing. It wouldn't go down to well if I have to slaughter half a room full of diners because some vampire wants you to be on the menu."

I stared at him, glad that I hadn't started the car. Was he serious? Eric flashed me a toothy grin and I relaxed a bit, but I still wasn't entirely sure.

"I was joking, Sookie. I would only need to kill the vampire in question."

"You don't need to kill anyone on my behalf; I can assure you of that."

"I won't promise that," he stated, almost sounding like a petulant child.

I started the car to distract me. It worried me greatly that he said he would kill anyone that attacked me. Firstly, for the most part, Eric seemed to be the one doing the attacking, and secondly, and much more seriously, what about Pam? Was that what he was going to do? She may not be his child in the traditional sense that I would understand, but he had created her over one hundred and fifty years ago. She was of his blood.

I drove the short distance to my farmhouse. Nothing was spoken between Eric and me, but my mind was whirring at a million miles per hour. Once I had parked up outside the house, I wordlessly lead Eric into the house to the kitchen.

"I'm sorry; I don't have anything to offer you," I said as I took off his jacket and handed it back to him.

He waved off my attempt at hospitality. "You are worried. Tell me why."

I considered denying it, but he obviously already knew what I was feeling. "You … you said that you would kill anyone who tried to drain me, but what of Pam?"

He raised an eyebrow in surprise. "This is what has been distressing you?"

"Yes, I won't have you killing her on my behalf! She is your child, and although I may not know exactly what that means in the vampire world, you can't hurt her or worse because she attacked me. If I remember correctly, you attacked me first and I defended myself." Somehow, I added to myself.

His gaze was appraising. "You are a surprising creature," he told me. "I will not _kill_ Pam for this. She was defending me as her Maker, which she was quite right to do so, and she would have been intoxicated on the fairy scent of your magic. A vampire as young as she would not have the willpower to _not_ react. But even then it would be different if we were fully bonded."

"That's the third blood exchange, right?"

"It is. But Pam knows that she cannot touch what is mine. She will be punished, although there are other methods in which I can torment her. I am her maker; I have control over her. I could make her give away her shoe collection, for example."

"There is no need for that."

"She needs to be taught a lesson." Eric stepped closer to me. He gently placed a finger under my chin and lifted it so he could observe the damage on my neck. I didn't doubt that I would be severely bruised around my neck, and I fully intended on downing a few painkillers before I left with Eric.

"It's fine, really," I lied.

He let out a low growl. "I know that you are trying to deceive me, and I can see the damage she has caused you. I fully intend on ordering Pam to give away all her designer clothes and shoes. The girl is spoiled."

"Wouldn't that draw attention to you guys?" I argued in Pam's defence. There was no need to make her give away what she owned.

He shrugged. "They could be burned instead." His tone was dismissive.

I had an idea. "You say that you can control her?" he nodded. "So, what if you commanded her to only wear Wal-Mart clothes for a week? If she is the snob you seem to portray her as, I imagine that would be a fitting punishment."

He had an evil glint in his eye. "I think you may have had a good idea. Although I think a week is too short." Great, Pam really would kill me if he made her wear it for much longer than that.

"I should go and shower," I announced to change the subject. But before I could leave, Eric took another step towards me, his eyes on my neck.

"Sookie, if you will not take my blood I cannot heal you completely, but my saliva has healing properties that will reduce the bruising by healing the damaged capillaries at the surface of your skin."

I had to admit that the thought of it sounded a little disgusting. "It'll be fine, honest."

"What will you tell people when they ask who throttled you? You will have substantial bruising, and although it may be cold enough to where scarves, people will notice."

I considered arguing with him, but he had a point. I wasn't one to normally wear scarves or roll-neck jumpers as they didn't suit me, and I couldn't imagine having to explain it to anyone.

"Fine," I relented.

Eric smiled a little, closing the distance between us before I had the chance to change my mind. He pushed my hair back over my shoulders then gently walked me back so that I was standing against the fridge. He wrapped his right arm around my lower back to hold me to him, and his left gently caressed my cheek. I felt his cool breath on the right side of my neck, and I closed my eyes tightly in anticipation.

He was surprisingly gentle in his touch. His tongue was smooth and cool, and he began to methodically lick the places where Pam's hands had been. It was taking a lot of effort to not completely relax into his touch, and even more to not find the situation strangely arousing. It didn't help when Eric moaned a little when his tongue reached the left hand side of my neck where Pam had bitten me. There were obviously traces of blood still on me and his licking became more frantic as he lapped up the dried blood.

I couldn't stop myself from moaning when he started placed open-mouthed kisses along my neck, and he pushed my black top and bra strap off my shoulder so he could reach the trails that had gone further down. I didn't want to stop him, as I couldn't deny his attentions felt good, but I didn't want this to get inappropriate.

When he pushed me into the fridge hard enough to make the beer and wine bottles rattle, and tried to move the cup of my bra out of the way, I knew it was time to stop.

"Eric, that's enough."

He growled but begrudgingly pulled his mouth away from me. I was still trapped in his arms, and he ran the fingers of his spare hand down my neck. I could feel already that it seemed less tender, and I was anxious to see if Eric had stopped the bruising. Looking up into Eric's eyes, I could see that they were heavily lidded with lust.

"Thank you," I managed to whisper to him.

He growled once more, and I couldn't deny that I was seriously turned on by that sound. I didn't want to be attracted to him – I had seen only too well that he was dangerous and violent – but in moments like this, if I had been less stubborn I easily could have caved into his and my desires.

With my eyes on his, he leaned in closer to me until I could almost taste his breath. I instinctively held my own as I waited for him to do something. Was he going to kiss me? My question was answered when he placed a chaste kiss on the side of my mouth. I wanted to turn into his kiss to meet his lips, but it was my survival instinct that told me not to.

When he finally stepped back from me, his gaze was intense. He had not stepped far back, and there were probably only centimetres between us. I swallowed thickly, but I could not draw my eyes away from his.

"It was the least I could do," he finally said, his eyes leaving mine to survey my throat. "Your bruises will not be noticeable to the human eye."

"But other vampires will see them?"

"Yes," he growled.

"I will wear a scarf tonight."

"Okay."

I knew I should leave the kitchen to go and shower, but I was struggling to find the motivation. "I should … um … I need to shower."

Eric finally moved away from me, and I was momentarily drawn out of his spell. Without looking at him again, or saying anything, I escaped to my bedroom and closed the door tightly behind me. I leaned against it briefly to gain some composure. For some reason, and despite the fact that he had pinned me down earlier in the evening, I just couldn't help the attraction I had for the man. Whether it was the danger that emanated from him, or whether it was just the fact that he was the best-looking man I'd ever seen, but for some reason I could not stop my body reacting to him. Even if the voice of reason in my mind was yelling at me to stay well away from him.

I went into my en-suite bathroom, starting the shower and pulling off my top so I could assess the damage in the mirror. Amazingly, I couldn't see any signs of the bruising I imagined would be there, and I knew that I had Eric to thank for that. I tried desperately to not think of his tongue on my neck, and I climbed into the hot shower once I'd removed the rest of my clothes.

I washed quickly, allowing the hot water to spill over me and cleanse away thoughts of the day. It had certainly been an eventful one, what with meeting my great-grandfather, being savagely attacked by Pam, and then my talk with Eric. And now I'd agreed to go to dinner with him. At a restaurant that apparently served blood. I could only imagine that it would be outside the normal jurisdiction of health inspectors, as I couldn't imagine it would go down too well.

After climbing out of the shower, I loosely dried my hair and put it back in a bun, and changed into a knee-length black wrap-around dress and a pair of modest heels. I finished it off with a turquoise silk scarf around my neck. I didn't know what kind of place he was taking me, but the dress was smart-casual.

After applying a little light make-up, I took a moment to compose myself and went back to the kitchen to find Eric sat quietly at my table. His hair was a little wet and I could see that he'd washed the blood away that had been in his hair.

"You look good enough to eat," he said while standing up, a leer on his face.

"I thought we already established I wasn't on the menu?" I gave him a challenging grin.

He stepped in closer to me and ran a finger down my neck. I couldn't help the involuntary shiver at his touch. "Not tonight, you're not. You've lost too much blood. In fact, you would do well to take some B-vitamin supplements. I would tell you to take iron as well, but considering your recent foray with fairy magic, I would suggest not until you have spoken to your kin again. It may also serve you well to avoid lemon."

"Why?"

"They are poisonous to the Fae. Iron is particular can be lethal to them; it is as bad if not worse than silver to a vampire."

"Well, it's always good that we know how to kill each other."

.

He gave a wry smile and led us outside. After I'd locked up, he turned to me. "The restaurant is somewhat off the beaten track. It will be better if I drive." He held out his hand expectantly.

"I do know how to take directions," I argued.

"I'm sure you do," he said a little patronisingly, "but I am driving."

"It's my car." I crossed my arms stubbornly across my chest, my keys tightly in my hand.

"Miss Stackhouse, I am not going to argue with you over this. I am driving. You have lost a lot of blood this evening, you have taken painkillers, it is dark and I know the road. I do not wish to hurt you getting the keys from your hand."

I had no idea how he knew I'd taken painkillers, but annoying I could understand his logic. I threw the keys in his direction, knowing with his vampire reflexes he'd catch them, and I stomped towards the passenger side of my car. I knew I was acting childishly, but considering the age gap between Eric and I, it was inevitable.

"So where and what exactly is this place?" I asked him after five minutes of driving.

"It's on the road to Monroe, and it's a restaurant for Supes. It caters for most kinds, vampires, weres, demons… Even humans," he added as an afterthought.

"I take it that not many humans know about it."

"You'd be right. We will be there shortly, but you will see that it is well hidden by magic. I do not like witches, but they do have their uses."

He stopped the car by what appeared to be a ruined warehouse building. There were no lights emanating from the building, but a scan of the area made me realise there were beings inside.

"Wow, that's good magic."

"You can tell?"

"I wouldn't have been able to, but you stopped here for a reason, and when I lower my shields I can tell there are beings in there. There don't seem to be many thoughts to read, but then even with vampires you are more like a void than being completely invisible."

He was quiet for a moment. "Look closer, can you see anything?" I did as he asked, and although I couldn't see anything, it was as if there was something in the corner of my eye. I told him this and he smiled. "Most humans who come here have a definite urge to leave and cannot tell there is magic in place. You being part-Fae no doubt had undermined that."

He drove the car further into what looked like a brick wall, but I was relieved to know it was just part of the illusion. Eric laughed at my jumpiness, and I was suddenly very glad that Eric had persuaded me to let him drive, as I was unsure I would have done that. Almost as soon as the car was stopped, Eric was at my door and opening it for me, holding out his hand.

I was a little surprised by his actions, but I supposed in being as old as he was, he was entitled to be a little old-fashioned at times. I gratefully took his hand, picked up my over-sized purse with the documents in and walked with Eric into the restaurant. We were greeted by what I assumed to be a were at the door as I couldn't get a clear grasp on his thoughts.

"Sheriff," the were said with a nod of his head, and he led us to a table in the corner of the room. It was certainly clear that Eric was treated with respect in this area. "Your server will be here shortly." He nodded once more to Eric before leaving us alone.

"Are you sure this is a good place to talk business?" I asked him when we were alone. The restaurant had seemed quite crowded, and we had passed many tables of diners on our way to our table.

"Can you hear anyone else?" he asked me. I concentrated, and realised that not only could I not hear anyone in the traditional sense, but I could not hear anyone's mind either. There was obviously strong magic in this place.

"No," I admitted.

The waiter came by and passed us both different menus, and traditional menu for me and one that seemed to resemble a wine list for Eric. I decided I didn't want to ask him more about it. Since I wasn't driving, I ordered a half bottle of red wine for myself along with a rare steak, baked potato and greens. Eric seemed encouraged by my choice of dinner.

After our drinks had been brought to us – the red wine for me and a golden goblet of blood for Eric – he turned his attentions onto me. "So, Miss Stackhouse, tell me about the wolf."

"Alcide?" I asked, feeling surprised at his demand.

"Yes. And were there others?"

"Others?"

"Men that you have been with, Sookie."

I was stunned. "Why do you need to know this? You may have some semblance of control over me now, but I do not intend on telling you all about my love life."

He leaned forward. "I need to know because I do not want to run into any of your exes. In my world, you are considered mine, and I do not want any unwelcome surprises." His words were a little harsh, but his tone was gentle yet firm.

The fact was, there was little to tell him. "I have grown up hearing the thoughts of every boy around me," I started to explain to him. "When I was younger I had no control over my shields at all, and I was often very upset by what people thought about me. So when it came to dating, I'm sure you can imagine how difficult that was."

I laughed to myself as thought of the two dates I had only ever been on: one where I threw my drink in his face as he imagined taking me violently from behind, and the other where I walked out on him because he could do nothing but think about me naked.

I continued. "People sensor what they say, for the most part. But it is not great to know exactly what your date is thinking. And my 'ability' becomes stronger with touch …" I trailed off to let Eric come to his own conclusions.

"You have not had other men."

I couldn't help but blush a little. "No. Alcide is the only man I have been with. I was so relieved when I met him, that I couldn't hear much from him. Thinking about it now, I don't think I would ever be able to date a human man. I guess weres are my option."

"Or a vampire."

I looked up in surprise at Eric. I hadn't expected him to say that. "I suppose. Your silent mind is very relaxing. But I'm not too sure that would work, since y'all seem to want to drain me."

I could see he had something on his mind, but I didn't press him. He was slowly sipping at his blood and seemed deep in thought. I couldn't help but admire him. Although his gaze was on intense on the table between us, I couldn't help but stare into his beautiful pale blue eyes. It pained me almost that he was so handsome. The dreams I'd started having of him following the first ingestion of his blood had not faded at all, in fact following the blood he gave me in his office, the dreams had become more vivid and even hotter. Not that I was going to admit that to Eric.

My food came and I ate in silence while Eric slowly finished off his blood. Despite my earlier thoughts, I was curious to know who or what Eric was drinking, but I decided it was probably better if I didn't ask. Particularly as I considered that I may not like the answer.

"You brought the paperwork and deeds to the land?" Eric eventually asked once my meal was finished and the plate was cleared away.

"Yes." I dug out the documents from my bag and handed them to him. "You said you wanted to negotiate over the price?"

Eric smiled while flicking through the documents. "All seems to be in order here. My lawyer, Mr Cataliades, will contact you tomorrow to go through everything." He handed them back to me. "But the price … I am sure we can come to some … arrangement."

His tone was that of a leer, and he had a deeply seductive gaze in his eyes. A less strongly woman would have melted, but I was determined to hold some ground with him.

"Mr Northman, I am not interested in your money. The reason I didn't sell it before was that my Gran had told me specifically not to, and the only reason I am selling it to you now is because I have been told it is in my best interests to do so. But I am certainly not going to sell it for other … favours. I am not a common whore."

I could see that my outburst had surprised Eric a little. "Sookie, I did not imply that you were. And you have already demonstrated quite how strong willed you are. Some may even say downright stubborn. I would not dare to suggest that you sell me the land for sexual favours. You name you price, Sookie, and it will be yours."

"I want my freedom."

He smiled a little. "That is not yours to negotiate."

I wanted nothing more than to slap him and storm out of the restaurant, but he still had my car keys, and I could hardly outrun him. I felt Eric take my hand and I looked up into his eyes.

"I understand this is hard for you. You are a headstrong, modern woman who does not take well to being told what to do." He was certainly right there. "But you must realise how much danger you are in. The queen knows about your ability, and sent Compton here to procure you. I am dealing with him, and he will not be a problem, but that does not stop her from sending others."

I thought for a moment before asking him a question. "If I was in your area, why did she not just ask you to 'procure' me for her?"

"That is a good question. And the answer is that I am not the lapdog like Compton has been. She knows I am a much stronger vampire than he is, and then she is."

"But she is the queen…"

"Only because I do not wish to be a monarch. I am comfortable in my position, and I do not want the shit that comes with running a state. As much as I am one of her most trusted and profit-wielding sheriffs, she does not fully trust me to not make a claim for her throne. The bond that we are forming is as much for your protection as it is for me to make you mine. If we are fully bonded, then she will not be able to take you from me. No one would."

"What does it mean … to be bonded? What would it entail?"

"Practically, it would just be one more mutual blood exchange. But on a deeper level we would be able to feel each other. You would be tied to me, as I would be tied to you."

"Why would you want to do that? Is it a risk to you?"

"It may well be a risk to me. But I am not willing to let you go."

"Why?"

"Don't push me, Sookie," he growled, snatching his hand back from me. I had obviously taken my questioning too far and he was closing off.

"I am only asking why you would be so willing to protect me. Particularly if it is something that could be a risk to yourself."

"Why I am willing to do it, is not of your concern."

I sighed. "If we were to bond, would I feel everything from you?"

"No. I would be able to shut down my end of the bond at times. I would not expect you to feel me while I was feeding or fucking." I didn't know why, but a wave of jealousy soured through me at the thought of him with other women. I knew it was irrational, and I quickly put the lid on it, but it had definitely been there. "But you would always feel me and be able to sense me. I would be able to track you with ease, and if you were in trouble I could find you over great distance."

"What of my telepathy?" I asked, changing the topic.

"What of it?"

"If we are negotiating a contract over the land, can we discuss terms regarding my telepathy if I am to work for you."

He almost looked impressed. "I have already had Cataliades draw up a contract. It is in all our best interests for there to be a formal contract in place. You will be paid one thousand dollars per hour, plus any expenses, and if you are required out of state you will be accompanied by myself or Pam."

Great, Pam. But otherwise it seemed reasonable, and I certainly wasn't expecting that kind of income from what I had always deemed a disability.

"I would like as much notice of any work you give me as possible," I told him, to which he nodded.

"Regarding the land, Miss Stackhouse, I made you an offer of half a million dollars, and that offer remains in place."

Wow, I didn't think he'd still honour that. "I can agree to that."

We shook hands, although we held onto each other for a little longer than was necessary. "As I said, Cataliades will be with you tomorrow to start the exchange."

He called over the waiter, paid the bill and escorted me out of the restaurant to where my car was. Again, he went straight to the driver's seat. We drove back to my farmhouse in comfortable silence, and once we'd driven up my drive and parked he was again at my door to help me out.

"Thank you, Eric," I said once I was stood on my doorstep.

"For what? I attacked you this evening."

"Yeah, and I'd be grateful if you stopped doing that. But thank you for being honest with me and explaining things to me, I do appreciate it."

He said nothing but took a step closer to me and inhaled. "You smell delicious." I stood still like a statue as he ran his cold nose along my throat, and fought valiantly with myself to not give into him. "You will yield to me eventually," he said confidently, his blue eyes blazing as he stepped back from me. "And you know where to find me."

He smirked at me, before shooting up into the sky and leaving me feeling very unsatisfied.

.

**Eric**

I'd quite happily have stayed longer with Sookie and I enjoyed toying with her emotions, but I had much to do. Her resolve was weakening all the time, and I knew it would not be long until she gave herself to be willingly. I could be patient when I had to be, and I wasn't beyond a little foul play if the situation called for it.

As soon as I landed in the trees near Fangtasia I left a voicemail to Cataliades to go and visit Sookie to get her to sign both the deeds relating to the sale of her land, and her contract with me as my telepath. I then walked in through the back door of the club and immediately summoned Pam to me. She knew well enough to be waiting for me in my office.

As soon as I entered, I pushed her against the wall, my fangs bared. "You dare attack what is mine?" I snarled at her. "You should be glad there were extenuating circumstances, as I would happily have you joining Compton in silver chains in the basement."

"I am sorry, Master." It was unlike her to apologise, and unlike her to address me in such a formal way.

"You will be punished, Pam. I cannot have you do this again. She is mine! You are lucky I have not completed the bond, as it would have been a blood offence. You will not harm her." I had made it an order, and Pam bowed to me.

"I considered ordering you to give away your clothes," she attempted to moan in protest, but I stopped her. "But it was Sookie that was against that. You should be grateful to her, she was quite concerned for your wellbeing." I could feel Pam's understandable confusion, and I released her from my grip and went to sit behind my desk.

"Master?"

"You will only wear clothes from Wal-Mart until further notice." It was a command that she could not disobey, but she stood staring at me. "Catching flies, Pamela? I suggest that if you want something to wear tomorrow, you had better go and find something." I gave her a grin, and she immediately scurried off.

I knew that she would hate me for this punishment, as she was a proud and fashion-conscious vampire, but it should at least serve to make sure she wouldn't even think about harming Sookie again.

I sat down at my desk and read the email report that James had sent me. I had been very impressed by his work, and he had been monitoring Compton's house for any signs of someone coming to search for him, along with his email account and cell phone. James had been responding to the Queen's emails and giving fake progress reports to her, but I had decided that Compton needed to be disposed of.

Not only was he a pain in my ass regarding Sookie, but the database he had created seemed to be a disaster waiting to happen, and I did not want it in my area. So, it was time for Herveaux to repay some of the debt to me that he owed. The plan was simple, he was going to take Compton over state lines to Mississippi where his bitch of a maker lived, and he would be left out in the sun to burn. I had warned the were that there must be no link at all to me, and he was to change vans at the state line for one with Nevada plates.

I'd already had a team of my vampires go into his house and remove all distinguishable artefacts, and a witch had been employed to dispose of all vampire scents in the building. Even Bill's. That the witch in question was Sookie's friend Amelia made it all the more gratifying, as I was more confident I could trust her because of her link to Sookie.

Compton had been placed into an indistinguishable cheap coffin and tied directly with silver chains. When the club was closed, Herveaux would pick up Compton and transport him into Mississippi. I hadn't told the wolf exactly where to take him, but his orders were to make it somewhere remote.

Two nights later, and the deed was done. Sophie-Anne had called me to discuss Compton, hearing that Lorena had found his seared and burnt flesh in rural southern Mississippi. The wolf had done well in driving further south as it increased the distance from my area to where he was found. I simply informed the Queen that I had not seen Compton around Fangtasia, and when I had gone to search his property, there was no sign of him or his belongings.

My final task was to destroy Compton's computer and, regrettably, James. He hadn't known that Compton was dead, so he had not time to hide anything, but I made it quick and made it look like he had lost in a battled with a nest mate. I removed all the computer equipment and destroyed it, making sure that there was no evidence linking me to either vampire.

What had surprised me the most, was that I found myself wanting to see Miss Stackhouse. I deduced it must have been the call of my own blood, but I found that I was drawn to her. Since the Queen now knew Compton had failed in his mission to procure Sookie, I was more concerned for her safety and I fully intended on speaking to the witch about warding Sookie's property. The simplest way around this was to tell the Queen about my attachment to her, but I had wanted to tell her once we were fully bonded. I deduced that it was time to speak further to Sookie about this, and let her know that I must tell the Queen for her own safety.

After spending an hour before dawn watching Sookie in her sleep, I made my way back to Shreveport and decided to sleep in the basement of Fangtasia. It wasn't a common place for me to stay, but I had a lockable and fireproof room down there and since Compton was no longer polluting the atmosphere, I decided that I would rest there.

But when I woke the next morning, I could immediately tell that all was not as it should be.

I looked to the small glowing clock on the nightstand to see that it was an hour before sunset, yet I could distinctly hear that there were humans in my club. And Sookie.

I pulled on just my jeans and sprinted up the stairs. The club was light tight during the day, but I was still always cautious whenever I came out here during the daylight hours. I walked into the bar to see one human and one abomination of a were tied tightly together with rope and black tape stuck over their mouths.

I turned once more to see Sookie sat on the bar and pointing a gun at the two men.

"Evening, Eric," she said with a wicked smile.

"What is going on here?" I demanded, more of the were and human than of the part-fairy with the gun. I ripped the tape off both of their mouths, unconcerned for their comfort. They were both now shaking with fear, and I was fairly certain that the human had pissed himself a little. Neither one of them answered my question.

"Sookie?" I asked, turning back to her.

She placed the gun down on the top of the bar. "It's a long story, but the short version is that Harry here," she pointed to the part-were who was struggling against his bonds, "he is a bitten were, but he doesn't want to be. He doesn't like it. It seems that Harry told his friend Jake," she indicated to the human, "about the existence of vampires, and being god-fearing men, they decided that it would be a good idea to burn Fangtasia to the ground."

I growled and took the were by his throat. "Who bit you?"

"Fuck off, fanger!"

I gripped tighter. "You are not in any position to speak to me this way. Tell me, what pack do you belong to?" I managed to catch him within my glamour and he said that he'd been bitten by one of the Hot-Shot were-panthers, but he didn't want to be one of them and hated what he had become. I was going to have to have words with Calvin Norris.

"And you thought you could burn my bar to the ground?" I growled at both of them. My blood lust and anger were rising and I would be more than happy than to destroy both of them, but I was highly aware that Sookie was still in the room. "You stopped them?" I asked her as I took a few paces in her direction.

"Yes," she said modestly. I could feel a battle within her as she tried not to be distracted by my naked torso. "What will you do with them?" she asked me.

"Torture and kill them."

"I don't want you to do that," she said quietly.

"Sookie, they were going to burn down my bar, with me in it. Is that what you want?" I knew that it wasn't and that I would have been safe in my room, but I needed to get my point across to her.

"No," she answered.

"You kept them here for me. If you had wanted to let them go, you would have."

"I want you to glamour them into going to the police."

"And say what, exactly. You thwarted their attempt at arson, and I cannot have them admit to the police that they were out to kill a vampire. And anyway, one of them is a were, he therefore falls under my jurisdiction." I could feel that she was traumatised by something. "Tell me, why are you upset? They could have harmed innocent people and vampires."

"I don't want my telepathy to be the reason for a human's death."

I sighed. "Fine. The human will be glamoured into forgetting everything and leaving the state. The were, however, I will not be so lenient with."

I felt her relief and I closed the distance between us. She was still sat on the bar, and I pushed her legs apart so I could stand between them and be at head-height with her. I inhaled her deeply, and I could smell again that she must have used some of her fairy magic to apprehend them.

"You were concerned about me," I stated to her.

"Yes," she admitted. "I couldn't do nothing."

"I know you want me, Sookie," I whispered into her ear. "I know you still dream of me, that you wake up wet and wanting me. Give in, give in to me."

I leaned back to meet her blazing blue eyes, then leaned in again so that my lips were only millimetres away from hers. I wanted her to be the one to close the final distance between us. I could feel the heat coming off her in waves, and I was almost burning with desire for her. Even the shouts of the insufferable were and human in the bar was not enough to distract either of us.

I felt her hands go into my hair first, but then her lips were on mine and she was kissing me with everything she had.

* * *

**So, Beel is dead but now the queen may come knocking. And Sookie is kissing Eric…**

**Sookie's POV of what led to this is the next chapter, which should be up in a few days.**

**Thanks for reading – I'd love to know your thoughts.**

**;)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks for each and every review – I really do appreciate reading them all!**

**Anyway, on with the drama as this is another action packed chapter!**

* * *

**Sookie**

When Eric disappeared up into the sky, I went into autopilot: going inside, locking the door behind me, changing for bed and then climbing in and placing my head on the pillow. It had been one hell of an eventful day, and my mind was in overdrive. There was no way that sleep was coming anytime soon.

Following my dinner with Eric, I had many questions running through my head that I wished that I had thought of them at the time. And I wasn't entirely sure that I trusted him. Strangely, when it came to the sale of the land I did trust him, as that was what he initially approached me for in the first place, but what I didn't like was whatever the so-called 'relationship' was that I was having with him.

I couldn't deny that I was attracted to him – any red-blooded woman would be – but I could not be sure how much of that was me, and how much of it was the strength of his blood. I deduced that maybe it would be a good idea to kiss him to find out, if for no other reason than to see how strong my feelings for him were. Well, that and the fact that I am sure he was one hell of a kisser, and it would just be wrong to pass up such an opportunity.

What really concerned me, however, was the blood bond he was so intent on us forming. I knew that had he wished it he easily could have forced me to bond with him by now, and it was a tick in his favour that he hadn't, but I didn't fully understand the dynamics of it. He had told me in no uncertain terms that he would continue to 'feed and fuck' other women, but he had also seemed strangely possessive of me when it came to my love life. Would it mean that I would not be given the same freedom?

Well, quite simply, that was not going to happen. I was my own woman, and although I appreciated Eric's 'protection', I was not going to put my life on hold because of him. I knew now that it was weres and shifters that I needed to aim for, and at least if I already knew their secret we could have a more open relationship than Alcide and I had.

With my mind made up, it was much easier to go to sleep. When I woke the next morning I had to rush as I had a day of meetings ahead of me. I just made it into the office in time for our weekly Wednesday team meeting, and then I had a meeting with a new client. I even managed to squeeze in an impromptu meeting with Mr Cataliades to discuss the finer details of my contracts with Eric. Once the papers were signed by me, he was going to take them to Eric and then submit them to the relevant authorities. I had no idea quite what that entailed, but since my great-grandfather trusted Mr Cataliades, I was happy to let him do as he had to.

My final meeting of the day was with John Quinn, who owned an event planning company called Extreme(ly Elegant) Events. They specialised in the more unusual type of events, and that was exactly what I wanted for an upcoming charity event we were planning for a local children's hospice.

The moment that John Quinn walked into the room, I knew he was a were of sorts. He was huge, even bigger than Eric, and that was saying something, but he looked like he was built of solid muscle. He looked like he would be more comfortable in a fighting ring than an office. He was also strangely attractive: he had a shaved head with blue eyes that seemed to look almost purple and a kind smile. He wasn't my normal type, as I really did prefer a man with hair, but he had an air of confidence about him that I had to admit was quite a turn on.

He was also very knowledgeable in his business, and was able to make some very interesting and intriguing suggestions regarding the event, and I ended up hiring him on the spot. As he got up to leave, I decided it was my chance to quiz him on being a were.

"Mr Quinn, please don't think me out of line for asking you this, but what kind of were are you?"

His face was instantly one of shock, and he froze, his eyes on me. I began to wonder whether I had made a mistake in confronting him, and whether I had inadvertently gotten myself into danger again.

"Excuse me?" he asked in a clipped yet suspicious tone.

I smiled at him to try to relax the situation. "I can tell you that you a were of sorts. But I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry, and I can assure you that I would not tell anyone."

John Quinn walked up closer to me and inhaled my scent. If I hadn't got so used to Eric doing that I would have been a little perturbed, but I froze and let him do so.

"You are not a were, yet you can tell what I am?"

I decided that I would be honest with him. "I am a telepath. I find that weres are harder to read than humans, so I was able to tell that you are not human. Forgive me if I have invaded your privacy." I wasn't going to give him more than that.

He relaxed slightly and took the seat across from my desk again. "I am a tiger."

"Wow. Are weres any animal? I know a couple of wolves, but are there all types of animal? Horses? Tortoises? Rabbits? Llamas? Sheep? Foxes?"

He smiled. "I know a were-fox or two, and I believe there may be were-horses in Mongolia, but most weres tend to predatory animals. I don't think there are any were-rabbits or were-llamas, and certainly no were-sheep or were-tortoises." My mind instantly shot to the Rabbit of Caerbannog, but I stayed quiet.

"So, tiger, huh? What kind?" I didn't really know the difference between different types of tiger, but it seemed polite to ask.

"Bengal."

"That's the orange and black kind, right?"

He smiled. "I am, but Bengals can be white and black as well. I have known a white tiger before now, but my kind have been victims of poaching as much as the natural kind have been. I am somewhat of an endangered species."

I couldn't help but feel sorry for him, and particularly when I considered that Alcide had broken up with me to mate with another were. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He paused for a moment and then looked back at me. "Tell me, Miss Stackhouse, would you be willing to let me take you out to dinner?"

I smiled, flattered at his question. "As long as I am not the dinner," I said, making as much reference to Eric as I was to the tiger biting me.

He flashed me a toothy grin. "I can assure you that my instincts are perfectly under control."

"Well in that case, I would love to, Mr Quinn."

"Please, just call me Quinn."

"Well in that case, just call me Sookie."

I stood up to escort him out of my office. We exchanged numbers and I agreed to meet him on Friday night in Shreveport at a restaurant we both knew and liked. I had to admit to being quite excited, as I hadn't been on a date for a long time, and I hoped that he wouldn't treat me as a commodity as Eric Northman seemed to.

.

Friday came around surprisingly quickly, and I decided that I would pop into Shreveport to buy myself a new outfit for my date with Quinn. I headed to a nearby department store and wandered into the ladies section to peruse the dresses, looking for something to wear for out date.

However, I was distracted by the sight of two men stood by a wall. They looked decidedly suspicious stood where they were, and I could not help but lower my shields and take a peek into their minds. I was astounded to realise that they were thinking about vampires. And it was also obvious that neither of them were Supes, and therefore should not have that kind of knowledge.

As it was only one in the afternoon, there was far too long before Eric would be awake, and as I didn't have his cell number, I wasn't sure how easy it would be to get hold of him. I realised all I could do was follow them and see what they knew. I ended up following them to a Starbucks where they sat at a table in the corner.

I sat near them, pretending to read the book I had in my purse, and I was horrified to learn that not only did they know of vampires, they knew who Eric was and they were planning on burning down Fangtasia. It took all my effort to not panic, and I knew that I had to do something. Listening in closer to their minds, I discovered that one of the men, Harry, had been bitten by a were and resented what he was. I hadn't realised that people could be bitten and become weres, but it seemed that it meant he was some kind of half-breed that only shifted part of the way on each full moon.

I had planned on just finding out who they were and reporting it to Eric, but I quickly discovered that they were going to be heading to Fangtasia that afternoon. It was all I could do to not panic, and although I considered calling the authorities, I really didn't know what I was going to say. I also quickly sent text messages to Tray and Alcide in the hope that they may be able to help, but I knew for now that I was on my own.

Trying to keep my distance from them so they wouldn't realise they were being followed, I leapt into my car and drove ahead of them to Fangtasia, parking my car behind a nearby warehouse and then staying in the shadows until they arrived. The men had obviously prepared ahead of time, and knew exactly what they were doing. I watched them from my vantage point in the trees behind the club as they disengaged the alarm on the back door and then went about forcing the door open. I was surprised in some ways that Eric's security could be so easily bypassed.

The two men picked up canisters that I could only assume were gasoline or lighter fluid and moved on into the club, luckily not shutting the door behind them. I ran from my place in the trees, glad that I had changed into my jeans and flat shoes and slipped into the club behind them. I knew it would be better to go for the one that was part-were before the human, but I needed some kind of weapon.

I silently slipped into a storeroom and found a few lengths of rope along with a crowbar, which would make an excellent weapon. The men were at the far end of the club and talking about where best to start, so they were completely unaware of my entrance. I stayed low and crept down the inside of the bar until I was only a few feet away from the men, the were closest to me.

I took a deep to breath to calm myself, and then swiftly stood up and smacked the part-were on the back of the head with the crowbar. Obviously neither of them were expecting it, and the other man turned quickly as his friend fell to the floor unconscious.

"What the –" he said, staring at me and pulling at something from inside his jacket. I knew instantly what it was, and this time I didn't have Eric to take the bullet for me. I tried throwing the crowbar at him, but my aim was a little off and he dodged it easily while pulling the gun out and pointing it at me. "Not so confident now are you, you fangbanging whore!"

He pointed the gun at me and I closed my eyes, waiting for the bang and the subsequent pain. But I could again feel the air thickened around me as I had in Eric's office, and despite hearing the bang, I hadn't felt the impact. I opened my eyes to see that I had somehow created a kind of force field around me of thickened air particles and I tried pushing it outwards, only to find the man being pushed back with it.

I smiled to myself in part shock and part glee that I had saved myself, but before I got too smug, I needed to take the opportunity and tie up the two men. It took some effort, but I managed to get both men with their arms tied tightly behind them, their ankles tied together, and then more rope around both of them as they sat with their backs to each other. Finally, and knowing that they would no doubt have some choice words to say once they woke up, I placed strong black tape over their mouths.

Knowing they were secure, I went back to pick up my purse which I had left by the back door of the club and shutting it behind me to keep the daylight out. I grabbed the gun and placed it next to me as I sat up on the bar to keep an eye on the two idiots who had tried to burn down the club. I wasn't really sure how I was going to get hold of Eric, but I was hoping that at least some of his human staff might come in and know how I could get hold of the vampire. If not I supposed that I could always leave a note.

It was probably about ten minutes after they'd been tied up that the first one of the men woke up. It was the human who I had blasted across the room, and he was mightily pissed at me, calling me all sorts of names in his head, but most commonly a freak. He was highly original like that. His part-were friend woke up a short time later, and I spent some time listening into their thoughts to try to find out whether there were others involved in their plot, but it seemed that they were working alone. The part-were, it seemed, was too ashamed to tell anyone else of his condition.

I tried my best to ignore the idiots while I sat and read. I hadn't been expecting to see him, but at around a quarter past four and an hour or so before sundown, Eric appeared in the room. And he was shirtless. I picked up the gun and pointed it at the idiots as I greeted Eric. I could only imagine what this must have looked like to him. He pulled the tape off both of their mouths with no consideration on how much it would hurt (not that I really cared), and asked them what was going on. When the scared men didn't answer him, it was up to me to explain.

Once I had told him that they planned on burning Fangtasia to the ground, he was understandably pissed off and demanded to know who had bitten the were. Obviously, he was a bigger idiot than his friend as he tried to mouth-off to Eric, but was soon glamoured into giving him the information. That meant that Eric's attention turned to me. We argued briefly about the outcome of the idiots, but we compromised that the human would be glamoured and set free while Eric dealt with the were. I didn't want to know what the entailed, but I didn't want my telepathy responsible for the death of a human, no matter how much of an idiot they were.

Eric approached me slowly and pushed my legs apart so he could stand between them. With me sat on the bar, we were at head-height with each other, and I was struggling to keep my eyes off him.

"You were concerned about me," he stated with annoying accuracy.

There seemed little point lying to him. "Yes, I couldn't do nothing."

He leaned forward to sniff along my neck and whisper into my ear. "I know you want me, Sookie. I know you still dream of me, that you wake up wet and wanting me. Give in, give in to me." Yet again, spot on.

He had no idea how much I wanted to give in, and when he moved within inches of me, I took the opportunity to experience that kiss I'd been thinking about. He did not disappoint. I plunged my hands into his hair and grasped at it as he took control, his own arms wrapping around me and pulling me as close to him as possible.

I could hear the shouts of the idiots in the corner, but I wasn't concerned with them while Eric was kissing me. I was enjoying it immensely and becoming hugely turned on. Yet I still wasn't quite sure what I felt about him. We were interrupted by one of the waitresses coming into Fangtasia and screaming at the sight of the two men tied up in the centre of the room. As soon as I heard the screech, I knew which one it was, and Eric reluctantly pulled away from me to shut her up.

I had to admit that I was grateful for the space from him to get a few moments sanity. If we had carried on like that, I probably would have let him fuck me, and I knew that that would have been a very bad idea. I jumped off the bar and picked up my bag. When Eric came back over, he looked like he wanted to carry on with the kissing, but I placed a hand on his chest to stop him.

"You know, if you keep on glamouring her she will have no mind left. She already resembles Swiss cheeses; it's amazing that she can even remember her own name."

"Why do I feel you are trying to distract me?" he asked, his eyes smouldering. It took a lot of willpower to take a step back from him, and even more to not drag my eyes over his naked torso.

"I need to go. I wanted to make sure that you saw these two idiots and that all was okay, but I'm going out tonight, and I need to go home and changed." It wasn't a lie, but I didn't want to tell him about my date. I kept my emotions neutral.

"Fine. You did well in apprehending them. I smelt fairy magic…"

"Yeah, I think I may be getting the hand of that," I said with a smile.

"Good, it is a useful skill for you to have and you would do well to practice." He had a point there. He went up to the human and glamoured him into having a pressing need to move to Seattle and a more tolerant nature, before untying him and letting him leave out the back of the club. "Have a good evening, Sookie," he said pinning me to the bar again and placing a few kisses along my jawline.

"Um, thanks." I was lacking coherent thought with him that close to me. "And thank you for saving me and my club. I suppose that we are even."

I hadn't really thought of it that way. "I guess so. Good evening, Eric."

I turned and walked from the club quickly without looking back and went to my car. I had to admit to having an urge to blow Quinn off and spend more time with Eric, but I was reminded that I was hardly going to have a normal and equal relationship with Eric, and it would be better for me to keep my options open.

.

The date with Quinn had been better than I had expected it to be. He was attentive and gentle, and it felt really normal to be out on a date with a normal job who wasn't trying to control or manipulate me. He told me all about his business, and also seemed close to him mom and sister, which was always a plus in my book.

We'd gone for a nice meal at a normal restaurant, and then he took me to a small club where we went dancing. For a big man, he could certainly move well, and he had a cat-like grace about him that I supposed came from being a tiger. When we were alone he told me more about his ability to be a tiger, but unfortunately declined when I asked to see him in his tiger form, telling me that it was too dangerous. I appreciated a man who was happy to not endanger me and let the beast in his free.

At the end of the night, he kissed me briefly good night and I drove back to my house in Bon Temps and climbed into bed. But the problem was that no matter how much of a great and normal time I'd had with Quinn, when it came to that kiss it didn't light me up the way that Eric's kiss had done. It meant that I was in quite a quandary. I had hoped that I would feel attracted to Quinn, if for no other reason than to let Eric know that he wasn't the only one who could fuck whoever he felt like, but I wasn't one to sleep with someone unless I had some kind of feelings for them.

I'd probably only been asleep for two hours when I was violently woken up by what sounded like a rumble of thunder. But it wasn't thunder – it was a growling vampire.

"Why the fuck do you smell like tiger?" he growled as I sat up in bed and turned my bedside light on. The look in Eric's eyes was pure fury, and his fists were clenched tightly by his sides.

"Probably because I went on a date with one," I spat back at him, fully awake now.

That didn't seem to be the right answer, as Eric's wrath only seemed to increase. "That is the reason you left this evening? You left me to go out with that kitty? You. Are. Mine!"

That only increased my anger. "Right, so it's going to be okay for you to feed and fuck whomever you damn well please, but I can't even go on a date? Fuck that, Eric. I am not your slave and I will be treated with respect. If you are going to fuck whomever you choose, I can assure you that I will as well."

"You will do nothing of the sort," he spat. "You do not understand my world, and my woman will not be seen with vermin such as that fucking tiger. I should have him turned into a rug for just daring to touch you."

"How would he even know?" I hissed back.

"He would have smelled my blood in you. Are you really that naïve?" Apparently, I was.

"It's irrelevant whether he knew or not. I am not going to put my life on hold for you. I am not going to play the meek little woman while you go around and fuck whomever you choose."

He let out an incredulous laugh. "Do you not realise that if the queen had you, you would be a prisoner? Do you not get that I am doing this for your own good? Do you think I want to be bonded to some ignorant child? You are infuriating and stubborn. Good luck with the Queen."

With that he flew out of my window, and I was sure I heard the sound of him roaring in the distance and what sounded distinctly like trees crashing into each other. It seemed that I really had pissed him off, and I was all of a sudden very scared that he would let the Queen take me. But what was he doing in my room? Why did he fly all the way from Shreveport at three in the morning?

It took me a few hours after that, but I did eventually collapse from exhaustion, even if my sleep was broken and light. The next morning, I made myself a large mug of extra-strong coffee and sat at the kitchen table playing with the eggs I'd made for myself. I was interrupted by the sound of a car coming up my drive and a knock at the door.

I tightened my gown around me and met the deliveryman, who wordlessly passed me a clipboard to sign before he handed me two boxes and a sealed letter. I opened the largest of the boxes first to reveal a beautiful full-length red silk dress, and in the second and smaller box there were matching shoes. I then opened the letter:

_Miss Stackhouse._

_You are cordially invited to attend Fangtasia at first dark to meet with the Queen of Louisiana. Wear the enclosed garments. A driver will be at your door at five to take you._

_Yours,_

_Eric Northman, Sheriff of Area Five._

A cold sweat swept over me as soon as I read the note. This wasn't an invite as there was no RSVP enclosed; I was essentially being ordered. I considered running, maybe trying to contact my fairy kin for assistance, although I had no way of locating them. But even then, Eric had told me in no uncertain terms that he would be able to trace me. I was just going to have to hope that he had changed his mind about giving me over to the Queen. I somehow doubted it, however.

My mind was a mess all day, and I ended up tidying the house in an attempt to keep myself sane. I almost wondered whether it was too late to write a will, as I was certain that I would no doubt end up dead sooner or later with my association with vampires. Alcide was right, maybe I should have got out when he told me too, but even by then I'd had Eric's blood. I was so screwed.

Nevertheless, I showered and did my hair in an elegant up-do before climbing into the beautiful dress. It didn't surprise me that it was a perfect fit. At precisely five, and just as it was beginning to get dark, a large car pulled up into my driveway and I was helped into the backseat by one of the three were escorts. Obviously, I wasn't being trusted to not try and make a run for it.

I didn't even attempt to make small talk with my escorts on the drive to Shreveport. I did everything I could to try and calm my nerves, even focussing on anger instead in an attempt to harness any magic that may help me survive. But I had the distinct impression that it would do little good.

When we arrived at Fangtasia, and as soon as the car stopped, the door was wrenched open and I was met by the snarling face of Pam. The were to my right gave me a little push and I climbed out of the car as gracefully as I could. Pam took my arm surprisingly gently, yet began to whisper harshly into my ear.

"You will do as you are told. You will speak only when you are spoken to, you will respect Eric and you will be the fucking lapdog he expects you to be. If you do not, we will all be killed and you will be the pet telepath to the Queen."

I should have been scared by Pam's threats, but it at least seemed to suggest that Eric wasn't planning on just giving me to the Queen. Pam led me to the front door of the club where we were met by a few vampires I didn't recognise and then on into the club. I scanned the area and deduced that there were at least twelve vampires in the area and eight glamoured humans somewhere in the back rooms. I didn't doubt that they were lunch.

My eyes fell on Eric who was looking dangerous yet beautiful with his arms crossed across his broadly muscled chest. He was leaning casually against a wall, but I could sense how hyper aware he was of everything going on and his eyes were fixed on mine as I entered.

I was distracted by someone clapping to my right, and I turned to see a redhead who looked to be in her late teens or early twenties. She was dressed in a black dress that emphasised her paleness, with her hair styled in a fashion that looked straight out of the nineteen-fifties and bright red lipstick on. I could only imagine that this was the Queen.

"So … Sookie Stackhouse. The telepath."

"Your majesty," I bowed my head briefly, but I wasn't going to curtsey or anything.

"Oh Eric, she is quite delightful! And she smells delicious!" I didn't like this woman one bit. "You say she is useful?"

"Yes, your majesty," Eric addressed formally. "Only yesterday she apprehended a human and a bitten panther who were going to burn down my club."

"Excellent!" she exclaimed, clapping again. I couldn't say I trusted her enthusiasm at all. "It is a shame she cannot be glamoured."

The Queen came up to me, grabbed my chin and forced me to look into her eyes. I could again feel the headache I had felt the previous time they had attempted, and I simply looked away from her. She let go of my chin with a huff.

"That is a shame," she continued. "I trust that she heels well?"

"Excuse me?" I asked, offended that she was referring to me as a dog.

She turned and shot me a vicious stare, and over her head I could see that Eric was not impressed either.

"Come here, Sookie," Eric commanded. "Now!" he ordered when I didn't move.

"Viking, I feel that you have not told me the whole truth about this telepath. If you cannot control her, I will bind her to someone that will. You say she has had your blood twice?"

"Yes, your majesty." Eric was giving me an evil stare.

"Well, you have obviously been too lenient and not broken her in very well. I feel she will be much better trained by my Andre."

A slimy and greasy looking vampire appeared at her side. He looked like he was only a teenager, but I knew better to assume that he was so inexperienced. There was no way that I wanted anything to do with him. He was leering at me and seemed even more repulsive than Bill Compton had been

"That's okay," I announced to the room. "I'm fine with Eric."

I walked past the Queen and her minion to where Eric was. He briefly acknowledged me, but his eyes were fixed on the Queen.

"You don't get the choice, Miss Stackhouse," the Queen said in a sickly-sweet voice. "Northman, since she is not fully bonded to you, I am stating my claim as queen of this state to take this human from you." I was astonished, but no sound of protest managed to pass my lips despite my insides screaming. "You will hand her over and we will be on our way."

"No," was Eric's reply, and he pushed me behind him.

"Excuse me?" the Queen asked. "You dare to refuse me? I am the Queen of Louisiana; you will not deny me! I will ask you once more, give me the human."

I felt an arm snake around my waist, and Pam gently pulled me back from where Eric was stood.

"And I said, no." Eric's voice was ice cold and deadly as he addressed her, and I felt a bolt of fear go through me for his safety.

"Andre," she commanded to her child. "Kill him."

I tried to scream, but Pam had placed a hand over my mouth. I watched in horror as the slimy vampire drew a blade from a sheath on his waist and approached Eric. However, Eric straightened himself and pulled a long sword from its hiding place by the wall and in one smooth stroke had decapitated Andre.

The Queen had a look of horror and anger in her eyes as she watched Eric kill her child, but on the follow through stroke Eric had taken a large step forward and had taken her head off as well.

Both of the decapitated vampires started to disintegrate into nothing, and chaos kicked off in the club. "Get her out of here!" Eric commanded to Pam, and in a flash she was picking me up and we were racing out the back of the club in the direction of Eric's corvette.

* * *

**So, Eric has killed the Queen to defend Sookie. Good idea? What now? **

**And what of Quinn? Will he end up being a rug?**

**I'd love to know your thoughts and comments.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thanks for the great response to the last chapter – looks like I surprised many people in having kill the Queen like that.**

**This chapter was much harder than I anticipated to write, so I hope it's okay…**

* * *

Pam placed me surprisingly gently into the Corvette and took off out of the parking lot at breakneck speed. She had obviously learned her driving style from her maker. Once we were outside of the city limits, I took a calming deep breath and turned to her.

"What are you going to do with me?"

She let out a sarcastic laugh. "Much as I would love to kill you right now, my maker has commanded me not to harm you, and I am yet to find a loophole. Right now, I am taking you to safety so do try and keep yourself out of trouble." Her tone was biting.

I didn't know whether to be pleased that Eric had protected me like that, or scared by the fact that Pam trying to find a loophole in Eric's decree. "Will he be okay?" I asked her.

"You had better hope he is, because if he isn't I will kill you." I believed her as well.

We were on a quiet country road about ten miles outside the city when Pam braked suddenly and turned onto an unmarked dirt track. She drove around fifty yards before stopping in front of a pile of rock and turning off the car. "What –" I started before she cut me off by raising her hand in the air.

"Quiet."

I ended up holding my breath while Pam listened carefully. Obviously satisfied that she heard nothing, she lifted a large boulder and appeared to be punching in a code and then placing her palm on something. I was amazed to see that in front of me the rocks lifted to reveal a garage. Pam drove in, and when the rocks resumed their original place behind us, she unbuckled my seatbelt and scooped me up into her arms again.

She carried me down a pitch-dark walkway and then down some stairs to another door where she punched another long code in. A door opened up in front of us, and she carried me into a large room, putting me down on the floor as soon as the lights turned on. She turned her back on me and went to sit in the centre of the large and sturdy wooden-framed bed that dominated the room, ignoring me completely. Not wanting to sit too close to her, I chose a small loveseat at the side of the room.

The lighting in the room was low, and from what I could see, we were completely sealed in. It made me glad that I was the only one breathing in the oxygen as I was unsure if the air was filtered in. I could see that there were a few rooms leading off the main one, and I hoped that at least one of them was a bathroom.

"What is this place?" I asked Pam after about ten minutes. She was sat on the bed with some needlework, which seemed very nineteenth-century of her.

"A safe house." She offered no further explanation than that.

"What happened in there?" I asked after another few minutes had passed of uncomfortable silence. "Why didn't he just give me to the Queen?"

"He should have," she snapped back at me. "Was it what you wanted?"

"No, of course not. But … I didn't expect Eric to kill her."

"No, you wouldn't, would you." The sarcasm was biting.

"What is that meant to mean?"

"You have no sense of self-preservation. I told you to do the fuck as you were told and keep your mouth shut, but what do you do? You mouth off to the Queen and don't obey Eric's orders. What the fuck did you think would happen? He has only done this to protect you."

I swallowed thickly realising the truth of her words. I had completely disregarded what Pam had told me in the parking lot.

"Why?" I asked quietly.

She snorted. "That's the fucking question, isn't it?" She gave me a particularly vicious look, and got up off the bed to walk to what appeared to be a small kitchen. I watched her as she heated a bag of donor blood in the microwave for half a minute or so and then bit into it, draining the bag before throwing it in the trash.

"What do you mean?" I asked once she had resumed her perch in the centre of the bed. I wrapped my arms around myself and brought my knees to my chest as I was feeling the cold in the room on my bare arms.

"He hasn't been himself since you showed up. He has hardly fucked anyone and he's far too concerned for your welfare for my liking. As far as I am concerned, he should have let the Queen take you. You're much more trouble than you are worth."

"Why didn't he?" I asked her.

She shrugged. "I'm fucked if I know. He's been all over the place these last few weeks; spending hours outside your window convinced that you need his protection. I tried to reason with him, but he won't listen. And then last night?" Her evil glare seemed to get even worse. "You blow Eric off to go on a date with that good-for-nothing tiger? I have never felt him as furious as when he came back to Fangtasia, and the destruction in his office is testament to that."

"I didn't mean to offend him," I whispered.

"I'm sure you didn't," she snarked, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "But you did. And as I said, he should have given you up. He had no reason to you to keep you, particularly as you had signed away the land to him." She was silent for a few moments before turning back to me. "There is food for you in the kitchen if you wish it."

She was effectively ending our conversation, and for want of something to do, I went into the small kitchen and opened up the fridge. On the top shelf were many bags of blood that looked like they had come from a hospital, and then underneath was some bread, turkey, spread and salad leaves. It was enough to make a sandwich, and I realised how hungry I was. I found some coffee in one of the cupboards and made myself a mug, unsure of how long I would be expected to stay awake.

Pam seemed quite comfortable sat on her own in the centre of the bed, but I was getting increasingly tired and felt cold to my bones as there was no heating in the room. It was probably no more than a few decrees over freezing outside, and it felt little warmer inside. I had considered asking Pam for a blanket or something, but since every time I made any kind of noise I was rewarded with a glare from her, I decided it would be best to keep quiet.

I tried to think through things, but I didn't understand Eric's actions. Pam was right, I had completely ignored what she had told me to do, and because of that I could have gotten us all killed. And what of Eric now? Was he going to get in trouble for killing the Queen? Was he now going to be King of Louisiana?

What confused me even more was what Pam had told me of Eric's actions of late. Had he really been watching my window at night? It would certainly explain how he knew that my dreams of him were not becoming any less frequent. And what of the other women? What was that about? Eric had seemed to suggest that vampires were highly sexual and didn't feed without having sex … did it mean that he wasn't feeding?

I had a lot to think about and my mind was in overdrive, but never being able to come to any viable conclusions that seemed to make sense. It must have been quite a few hours that we had remained in silence in the cave before I saw Pam move her head as if she was listening to something and then move to stand at the entrance to the room. I could only assume that Eric was back.

.

**Eric**

As soon as I was confident that Pam had taken Sookie safely out of the club I turned on the remaining members of the Queen's guard. She had really shown her arrogance in bringing so few vampires with her, and I had already dispatched another of her minions in the time that it had taken Siegbert and Wybert to come in from their position on the door.

I looked over to the bar to see that Thalia and Longshadow were both joining in the fight, with Thalia in particular being an old, loyal and skilled fighter. We all attacked the 'Berts' at the same time, and it took less than a minute for both of them to be dust along with the Queen and her child. I was almost disappointed at how easy it had been, and I made a mental note to never be as arrogant as Sophie-Anne had been. It had been her downfall in the end.

There were two younger vampires of Sophie-Anne's retinue who had surrendered as soon as she was dead, but the rest of them were making a mess in my club in varying forms of decomposition. No doubt I would have to close the club for a night to remove fully the stench of rotting vampire.

I checked my bond with Pam to check that she seemed okay, and then lowered the wall that I had built between Sookie and me; although at this distance it was hard to sense her. I knew that I could not allow myself to be influenced by Sookie's emotions, and suspecting what was to come I had closed myself off from her.

After surveying the carnage in my club and sending Chow out to scout around the local area for any stragglers that had not come into the fight, I went into the office to notify the relevant authorities of the change in status in Louisiana's leaders.

I had to admit that I had been more than happy not being a monarch and the additional bullshit that came with it, but in all honesty I'd become a little bored in my position in Area Five and welcomed the new challenge. Aside from the normal duties of being a sheriff, I had spent time building up my business interests as well as researching that of the Fae. Which of course was what led me to Sookie and therefor this moment.

I was going to file the formal paperwork the next night, but in the meantime I had sent an email to the council to advise them of Sophie-Anne's death. I was lucky that her maker had died many years ago – incidentally at the hands of my maker – and Sophie-Anne had not been a liked vampire within many circles. It meant that I needed to shore up Louisiana and quickly, as otherwise there would be other vampires sniffing around in the hope that they would be able to take over.

I spent the next few hours speaking to my fellow former sheriffs and gaining their fealty and allegiance, and I contacted my old friend Rasul to promote him to Sheriff of Area One. What the former queen hadn't known was that Rasul had been feeding me intelligence from the royal residence for many years, and I therefore knew how badly Sophie-Anne had been running the state. I also put the word out to the Kings of Mississippi, Texas and Arkansas, partially as a courtesy to them, but more to the point to warn them off any takeover attempt.

One of the first things I decided I'd do would was to sell off some of the assets that Sophie-Anne had needlessly acquired over the years. On top of her own residences, she had acquired seven more 'Royal Residences' for her personal use, and that, quite simply, was excessive. She had become used to her luxury items, and that alone would have easily meant the state was ripe for the taking due to her financial troubles. Not anymore, however.

Once I'd done as much work that needed to be done, I closed up the club to take to the skies. I was keen to check on Pam and Sookie, although if I admitted it to myself, it was Sookie that I was keen to see – we had much to discuss. One of the things I needed to raise with Sookie was the matter of her cousin.

As the Queen's child, Hadley had felt the death of her maker, and, luckily, my quick call to Rasul had managed to get her contained and held in silver until it could be deduced as to what to do with her. I knew essentially that she would have to be staked, but I wanted to give Sookie the option of seeing her before that happened. I just had a feeling that she wouldn't be too happy about me killing a family member of hers.

I landed a short distance away from the lair I'd had built ten years earlier and entered the access codes along with a palm print on the digital scanner. Even Pam had not known the location of this bunker until I had shown her the night before and allowed her access, although I was certain that she also had places I didn't know about. A vampire could never be too safe when it came to their resting locations.

When I entered into the underground chamber, I was immediately greeted by Pam.

"Your majesty," she said, her head lowered respectfully as is protocol with a new monarch.

"You will be my lieutenant," I told her.

"Of course."

I nodded to her before my eyes moved to Sookie. I could feel her fear, but I could also feel her tiredness and a sense of her being uncomfortable. I was surprised that she hadn't been sleeping, and I hoped that she hadn't spent all night sat on the uncomfortable seat. She stood up as I approached, and I couldn't help but notice that she had gooseflesh covering her arms. Vampires do not feel temperature the way that humans do, but I was annoyed that Pam would let her be cold.

"You had better have a good explanation for this. She is cold," I snapped at my child in Swedish, my eyes still on Sookie.

Although I had my back to her, I was sure that she shrugged. "You said not to harm her and to make sure she is safe. I did just that. You said nothing of keeping her comfortable."

She was right, but I expected more from her. I was aware that Sookie was not her favourite human, but I was not going to stand for her insubordination. "Leave. Be at Fangtasia by ten tomorrow night, we have much to do."

I heard her leave, but I did not turn around. I placed my hands on Sookie's bare arms and she shivered slightly. I was unsure if it was from the cold or my touch. "You are cold," I stated.

"I guess so," she said with an attempt at a smile. I went to move to get her a blanket, but I felt her small hand move to my arm to stop me. "I'm sorry, Eric … I mean your majesty." She bowed her head to me and I couldn't help but laugh.

"We have much to talk about, Sookie, but first I wish to get you comfortable. You will be staying here during the day."

I half expected some kind of protest from her, but there was none. I had thought to provide a change of clothes for Sookie for the next day, but not anything for her to sleep in. I pulled a spare t-shirt of mine out of one of the drawers in the large wooden chest and handed it to her along with a pair of warm socks.

"Get changed and climb into the bed. I will be back."

I didn't give her any chance to protest, and I went into the small kitchen to warm a bag of donor blood. After draining it, and hearing that Sookie was settled, I went back into the bedroom and started removing my own blood-splattered clothes. I had my back to Sookie as I stripped, but I couldn't help smirking to myself when I felt her lust rise as I removed my jeans. I had gone commando as normal. I wasn't one to normally wear anything as I slept, but because of her modesty I would wear a pair of black sleep pants.

"You are warm enough?" I asked her as I went over to the bed and sat on one side facing her. The bed had a thick quilt and a blanket on top.

"Yes, thank you."

"You won't be able to leave this room tomorrow, but there is food in the fridge and a small bathroom, which I hope you have already discovered."

"I have. Thanks." I could feel her apprehension, and I could tell she was almost desperate to know what was going on. "Thank you," she said after a few moments. I knew as to what she meant.

I sighed unnecessarily. "I was not going to let the Queen take you."

She looked down at her hands, avoiding my gaze. "I just … I screwed things up. I should have kept my mouth shut and done as Pam had told me to."

I smiled. "A couple of centuries experience does help at times." I waited for her to look up before I continued. "But the Queen was going to take you either way. She would not have settled with you being away from her, even if you were the human of her sheriff."

"Why not?"

I shrugged. "She never really trusted me, and she was right not to. As we are not fully bonded she had to take her opportunity. Her mistake was thinking that I would let you go easily."

"Why didn't you?" she asked quietly.

"Because you are mine!" I growled louder than necessary, but in seeing her flinch I got my temper under control again. "The Queen contacted me yesterday to say that she was visiting, and I had little choice but to tell her that I had discovered a telepath in my area. Obviously she pretended not to know and I had to agree to a meeting." I paused briefly before asking her a pertinent question I needed to know the answer of. "Tell me, Sookie, does the tiger know of you being a telepath?" I tried to keep my temper in check with mention of the filthy animal.

"Yes," she almost whispered.

It was as I had suspected. "Due to Compton's failure, I do not doubt that the Queen employed the tiger to establish whether you were a telepath." She gasped and had an almost mortified look on her face. "He is a known mercenary, a gun for hire. He would have smelt my blood in you and reported it back to the Queen. It is why she made the decision to come here and why I had to admit that I knew of you."

"But Quinn, he seemed so … God! I feel like I can't trust anyone!"

I was a little put out by her statement. "I have not lied to you, Sookie," I said gently.

She looked a little alarmed. "I know, and I don't mean that … I just … I thought if I went out with a were, I might be able to have a normal date. And now I find out that he was only there because he was spying for the Queen?" She let out an exasperated sigh.

"You were targeted. The tiger is in debt to vampires, and my concern is that he will sell this information to other vampires."

I felt her fear spike. "But you're now the King of Louisiana, right?"

"I am. But unless we are fully bonded I cannot adequately protect you."

She lowered her gaze and stared at her hands. "I don't know why you would want to do that. What does it mean?"

"It means that no other vampire could take you from me."

"But why? I don't understand why you feel the need to keep me safe. I am not your responsibility."

"You are mine," I stated.

"So what, it's finders keepers? Because you found me first you're staking a claim on me?" I could feel her anger, and raised an eyebrow at her until she calmed down. "I guess what I'm asking is what it means for you to be bonded to me, other than me belonging to you."

She was smart and persistent; I had to give her that. "I would be tying you to me. I do not fully understand the way it works as I have never been bonded to a human before, but it would be like the bond I have with Pam, only different. I would know where you were, I would feel any strong emotion from you over many miles. For all intents and purposes, you would be my wife although an additional ceremony is needed."

She didn't push the issue and more and I could feel an array of mixed emotions coming from her, although the strongest was a degree of sadness.

She sighed. "Can we be completely honest with each other?" she asked, "Will you answer me straight when I ask you something instead of dodging my question?"

"I will try." It was as much as I could give her.

"I want to try and explain this from my point of view," she started, waiting for me to nod before she continued. "I have always known that normal relationships would be difficult for me because of my disability," I tried to argue that it wasn't a disability, but she held a hand up for me to stop and I did so. "But it doesn't mean that I don't have the normal romantic ideals of marriage, children and growing old. I think I understood years ago that I could never have children, as I didn't want to inflict my disability upon any child of mine. I went through hell growing up, there was no way I could let myself bring a child into this world and let them suffer the same." She spoke with such longing that it almost pained me that she would be denied that.

She continued, not meeting my eyes as she spoke. "But that doesn't mean I don't want a relationship. It doesn't mean that I don't want to be loved. You say that this will be like a marriage, and you seem fairly set against me seeing anyone else…" she trailed off, her eyes still not meeting mine.

"What are you asking, Sookie?" I queried her gently.

"I don't know, I …What will this be between us? Is it some kind of marriage of convenience? You get yourself a telepath and I get protection from other vampires looking to use and abuse me?"

"Essentially, yes."

She let out an exasperated sigh. "Essentially yes?" she repeated back to me, "what does that even mean?"

"It means exactly as you said. I have a telepath and you have my protection."

I could feel her annoyance. "So that's all I am to you? A pet fucking telepath?" I wanted to protest, but I didn't. It was better that way. "Answer me!" She yelled.

"You will watch how you speak to me!" I growled.

"Well answer my question then," she snapped back. "Please," she added as an afterthought.

"Yes."

She slid down further into the bed and turned away from me. I hated to see her hurt, and hated it even more that I could not answer her question honestly, particularly when I had told her I would not lie to her. I stayed still, watching the back of her golden head as her feelings flitted around. She was a mixture of emotions, but I began to feel some strength come from somewhere, along with resolve. She eventually turned back to face me.

"Why have you been coming to my house every night?"

I stiffened at her question. "Why do you think that I have been?" I asked, not answering her.

She ignored my question and asked another of her own. "Why have you not been fucking so many women?"

Pam. She was going to be shopping in Wal-Mart for the next century by the time I had finished with her.

"It is irrelevant."

She huffed. "You said that you would be honest with me."

"I said that I would try."

"And what, you're unable to _try_ to be honest with me?"

I stood up. "It is nearly dawn, you should sleep."

"Bullshit!" she cried, calling me on the fact that there were over two hours. "Why the fuck won't you be honest with me? You said that you won't lie to me, but you are doing just that. I don't understand you! You say that I am just some pet telepath to you, but you have taken a bullet for me, you have kept me safe, you have killed the fucking Queen of the Vampires for me! Why can't you admit that you feel something for me?"

I walked away from her. I was not willing to admit anything to her, particularly as I had been so confused myself in the weeks since meeting her. Emotions were dangerous for a vampire, I knew that much. And I was almost certain that any emotional attachment to this part-fairy would no doubt be the end of me. But was it too late? If I bonded with her I would have to always keep that wall between us, and I could never let it be known that I was emotionally attached to her. It would be too dangerous for both of us. But thanks to my child, Sookie had realised that there was more than I was letting on.

"I'm attracted to you," Sookie said in a small voice, and I turned to face her. "And I really shouldn't be considering that you've tried to kill me more times than is healthy for any relationship. And I don't just mean in the obvious way that I think you're hot … as I do." I could feel her embarrassment, and her cheeks were flushed pink. "But I feel … something. And it was certainly there when I kissed you."

"I enjoyed kissing you very much," I told her in complete honesty.

"Were you jealous that I went out with Quinn?"

I clenched my teeth at his name. Jealousy was an understatement. I would happily rip him into pieces and make purses from him for even daring to touch Sookie, yet alone selling her out to the Queen. For his own sake he had better be out of my state as otherwise I would skin him.

"Were you jealous when I mentioned me fucking other women?" I shot back at her, knowing perfectly well that she was.

"Yes," she snapped, her eyes expectant on me and demanding an answer.

"I did not like it that you were with him."

"Enough to rip up your office?" I cursed Pam in Swedish. "Tell me, Eric," she said gently, sitting up in the bed again. "Why is this so hard?"

I remained standing where I was. "Emotions are a weakness to vampires. We learn at an early age to reign in useless human emotions. A vampire cannot be sentimental when everything around us changes. Humans die; the world changes. My own maker spent years beating such emotions out of me, and I have survived a thousand years without them. But now, this little part-fairy comes along and shakes everything up. I should have killed you when I had the chance."

"Gee, thanks!" she laughed assuming that I wasn't being serious. I gave her a small smile in return. "If we bond … what happens when I grow old and die? Are you really going to want to be bonded to someone that looks old enough to be your grandmother? Can the bond be broken?"

"I believe there are ways to break it. But if we pledge to each other as well the marriage would be valid for one hundred years."

"Yeah, no offence, but I'm not sure I'm going to live that long!"

"It is not as crazy a thought as you are imagining," I told her, a look of surprise on her face. "Firstly, you are part-fairy and fairies live for a long time. Your recent showing of Fae abilities shows that you have the essential spark. You would need to check with your great-grandfather, but I would imagine it means that you would age much slower than a normal human. Plus, if you carried on taking my blood then it would ward off any disease and also slow your aging."

I could see that it was a lot for Sookie to take in. "Would you make me a vampire?"

I moved closer to her. "Do you want to become a vampire?"

"I don't think so." I wasn't surprised by her answer. "I look good with a tan."

"Mmmm … and I look forward to seeing more of it," I purred.

"You don't stop, do you?"

"No," I smirked.

"Are you going to get in trouble for killing the Queen?" she asked after a minute or so of silence.

"I expect not. Any vampire, particularly a sheriff, is within his or her right to challenge the queen. And it is well known that Sophie-Anne was not doing a good job in Louisiana. If I had not killed her, someone else would have. And I may not have survived such a takeover. It was therefore in my best interest to kill her and take her place." It was matter-of-fact, and I could see that Sookie was a little uncomfortable, but it was the truth.

"I hope you don't mind me saying this, but y'all are very bloodthirsty."

I agreed with her. "That is true in more ways than one. You do not get to live for a thousand years without being ruthless and bloodthirsty when you have to be." I looked over at the small clock on the bedside table. "There are probably two hours until dawn. If you wish us to complete the bond, we will have to do this shortly." I wanted to make it as much her choice as it was mine.

I could feel her apprehension and nervousness. "If we didn't, what would happen?"

"I would not be able to protect you as well as I can. My position as King has not changed that. Unless we were bonded, another vampire could challenge me for you. If we were bonded and pledged, they would not even be able to approach you without my consent."

"You know, I understand that you're doing this for as much my own good as yours, and I do appreciate that. But what I want to know is do you _want_ to be bonded to me?"

I wasn't going to lie to her this time. "Yes."

"Why?"

I sighed unnecessarily. "Because, Sookie Stackhouse, you intrigue me like no other human has ever done. Not only are you beautiful, but you are smart and challenging, and you see straight through my bullshit. I have wanted you in my bed since I first laid eyes on you, but I have grown to want you in ways that I do not understand. You must realise that I have not allowed 'feelings' to cloud my judgement for over a millennium, but you have turned my world on its axis, and I can't say that I am entirely comfortable with it. But I want you. All of you, and I want to be bonded to you. I want to feel you, and I want you to feel me."

She was completely stunned, and stared at me with her mouth slightly agape. "Wow. I guess I asked."

"You did. And I will ask you the same question, do you want to be bonded to me?" I couldn't deny that I was apprehensive of her answer.

She was silent for a few moments as she carefully considered her words. I deliberately chose not to monitor the bond. "These last few weeks have been kind of crazy for me. And in some ways I'm surprised that I haven't completely freaked out. But despite the fact that I really shouldn't be, I feel surprisingly comfortable in your presence, and I cannot deny that I am physically attracted to you. But the other day when I thought that those idiots would kill you, I was so scared. I knew I had to do something. And then kissing you …" she trailed off briefly, a smile on her lips. "I enjoyed that. And I am sorry that I blew you off to go out with Quinn."

I just about managed to resist growling at his name. "Why did you?" I asked softer than I thought possible.

She shrugged. "It was already arranged, and I honestly thought that it was a good idea at the time. I wasn't sure what this meant." She gestured between us. "Eric, I want fidelity in a relationship, and what we seem to be doing here seems very much like a relationship. I don't want you to be fucking other women."

"You want me to be just fucking you?" I took a step closer to the bed so that my knees were pushing up against it.

"Yes."

I smirked. "That can be arranged, Sookie."

"You're incorrigible."

"Probably right," I agreed.

"If we bond, I don't want you to hide things from me."

"There will be times that I must block what you feel from me," I explained. "Vampires feel much more strongly than humans, and I would not want an intense jolt of anger to cause you harm."

"I suppose that I can understand that. But I have two conditions."

"Okay."

"I want you to be honest with me, and I do not want to share you with other women. Or other men, for that matter."

I sat down on the bed and moved to within touching distance of her. "Agreed. Although I hope you realise what you are letting yourself in for; vampires have quite the sexual appetite."

I ran my finger along her arm and she shivered at my touch, her eyes intense on mine. "Then yes, Eric. I want to be bonded to you."

* * *

;)


	12. Chapter 12

**Okay, so this chapter is a little citrusy in places, so those with a delicate sensibility may wish to turn away now. Still here …? Good, hope this is okay!**

**On a different note, I'm starting some studying which means that I annoyingly won't have so much time to update. I do still plan on updating once a week, and it will most likely be on a Sunday evening (BST/GMT).**

**Anyhoo, please enjoy…**

* * *

**Sookie**

Almost as soon as I had finished speaking, Eric was on top of me and pinning me to the bed. I probably should have been scared considering the previous times he'd been pinning me down it was in anger, but I had to admit that I was hugely turned on by his display of dominance. The quilt was still between us, but I could feel his solid weight and hard body pushing me gloriously down into the mattress.

He placed a chaste kiss on my lips, which left me wanting so much more, then gently nuzzled into my neck, breathing in my scent. I couldn't resist plunging my hands into his mane of hair.

"Your heart is pounding," he commented, more to himself than to me. "Are you still cold?" he asked, moving to meet my eyes.

"I'm a fair bit warmer now." I gave him a nervous smile.

"I won't hurt you, Sookie," he promised. I believed him, as well.

He lifted his body off me for long enough to whip the quilt and blankets aside, and then placed his long, cool body back on top of me. His knees were either side of mine and he was leaning on his elbows, which were next to my shoulders. I was being completely dominated by him, and I absolutely wanted more.

His touch was much gentler than I had thought possible, and he tenderly started to kiss down my neck before he pulled me up and tore off the t-shirt of his I was wearing. As soon as I was bare-chested, his mouth went to my left nipple, while he palmed my right breast in his hand. His cool tongue was incredible, and I felt myself beginning to writhe beneath him, my legs rubbing together in search of friction.

I felt one of his fangs pierce my nipple and he sucked hard on the wound causing me to cry out in pleasure. After a few tortuous minutes, he repeated the process on my right nipple, my left breast in his hand as he massaged it gently. I was again crying out in pleasure as he pierced my nipple with his fang, and my hands clenched hard in his hair.

"Lover," he said, leaning up to face me. I wasn't too sure about his term of endearment, but at that time I was enjoying myself far too much to really care what he called me. "You have the most perfect breasts; they were made for my hands."

To prove his point he palmed both of my breasts to show that his hands did in fact fit them perfectly. I whimpered in pleasure as he captured my nipples between his fingers and squeezed gently.

"I could spend hours on your glorious body," he purred, "but we are running out of time."

I didn't know what to expect next, but Eric's hands seemed to be everywhere at once as his lips travelled further south. Before I knew it my panties had been ripped from my body and flung somewhere over his shoulder, and his cool breath was on my sex. He was seemingly almost purring between my legs, a low and sexy growl coming from deep within his chest.

When I felt his tongue flick my clit I almost catapulted off the bed. I was rewarded with a chuckle from Eric and he hand laid flat across my lower abdomen to effectively pin me to the bed. I let out a string of un-ladylike expletives, as Eric got to work, his lips working in perfect sync with his tongue and fingers as he brought me quicker than ever before to a catastrophic orgasm that almost knocked me out.

"You taste delicious," he said once I'd regained a degree of consciousness. I looked up to see his happily nuzzling my inner thigh, his eyes on mine as he placed a long lick along where I presumed my femoral artery was. "I look forward to biting you here," he said as he blew cool air onto where he'd licked. I shivered involuntarily, but it wasn't due to the temperature.

With his eyes fixed on mine he climbed off me and stood next to the bed. I could not stop my eyes from roaming over his gloriously hard and white body, and they were drawn to the very prominent bulge that the loose sleep pants were doing nothing to restrain. A thought crossed my mind as to whether he bought pants with an extra-large groin area, but I deemed it not hugely relevant.

He waited until I'd managed to draw my eyes back to his before he dropped his pants. There was a challenging smirk on his face as I desperately tried not to lower my eyes. But of course he knew I would, and I only lasted about five seconds before my eyes trailed back down his body to where his prominent erection stood to attention.

I swallowed audibly as I took him in. I should have expected it really considering his height and large build, but he was huge. I had to admit that I'd always thought of penises to be largely ugly yet practical, but his was somehow beautiful and inviting, and I was overwhelmed with an urge to touch him. I did just that, sitting up in the bed and gently running my hand along the length of him. He groaned at my touch, and, empowered by this, I pumped him a few times, my thumb trailing over his sensitive head and picking up some pre-cum that had leaked out. I had popped my thumb in my mouth before I knew I was doing it.

"Sookie," Eric moaned as he watched me, his gracious plenty twitching between us. His eyes were silently asking for permission, and I nodded to him, lying back onto the bed and watching him as he stalked towards me.

He pinned me once more to the bed, one large hand holding both of my wrists above my head as he kissed and nipped at my neck. "I want you," I moaned, meaning it, and Eric quickly released my wrists and rested his weight on me, his large phallus digging into my inner thigh. I had to admit to being apprehensive; he was much larger than I was used to, and I hadn't had sex in over a year.

"Do not worry, Sookie, I will not hurt you." He placed a soft kiss on my lips, which I met eagerly. "I know what I'm doing," he added with a wink before placing a hand between us to line himself up with me.

He pushed in slowly and considerately, giving me the time to get used to his size. It seemed to take forever until he was finally fully inside me, but I enjoyed every moment as he skilfully moved into me. All the while he was running his hands over any skin of mine he could reach and once fully sheathed inside me, he engaged me in a passionate kiss that easily shot to the top on my All Time Kisses list. The man was seriously talented in the kissing department, and it only made me more excited to know what he could do with other parts of his anatomy.

And I wasn't disappointed.

Eric began to move slowly inside me, managing to somehow hit my g-spot on every in-stroke, as well as rubbing my still engorged clit on each out-stoke. It didn't take long until I was clawing at his back on the verge of another orgasm, to which he pushed me over into with a smile on his face. I had to admit that he was a very giving lover, and despite the fact that he was this dominant, dark and highly sexed creature of the night, he made damn well sure that I was enjoying myself as well.

When I came down from my high, he stilled his movements, gathered me into his arms and flipped us so that I was lying on top of him. He arranged himself so that he was propped up against the headboard, and he bent his knees behind me. In that position I was able to take him much deeper, and I couldn't help but grind myself onto him, an act that earned a satisfying moan from my vampire.

"I intend for you to drink from me," he said as his hands moved to my hips to guide my movements as I rocked slowly on him. It was a different position from before, and I wondered where he wanted me to drink from him as in the position it could be a lot more intimate.

"Your wrist?" I queried, not able to say any more than that.

He chuckled. "No, you will drink from my neck."

I was a little started at the thought of having to bite him as I certainly lacked fangs, but he reached across to the bedside table and picked up an ornate golden dagger. He handed it carefully to me.

"You want me to cut you?" I really didn't want to hurt him.

"Yes, do not worry; you will not cause me any pain. You will need to drink immediately from me before the wound closes."

He smiled reassuringly at me, and I placed on hand on his muscled chest for support while I made a small incision on the left side of his neck. He seemed to moan with pleasure when I cut him, and I felt him thrust up into me. His blood flow was sluggish, and I watched as a thick drop of blood formed at the wound.

"Drink, Sookie," he commanded, gently pushing me into his chest. I obediently latched onto the open wound and began to suck strongly, taking his strong and ancient blood into me for a third time. On my second mouthful, I felt Eric's tongue at my neck as he placed a long lick along my throat before he bit painlessly into my neck and began to drink from me.

It would be hard to describe what happened next, and I was almost bowled over by the extreme pleasure I felt. Eric began thrusting up more forcefully into me, and I felt an orgasm growing inside me like no other. When it eventually hit I had to let go of Eric's wound, and I raised my head to scream with pleasure, every nerve ending in my body feeling like they were pushing me over the edge. At the same time Eric had released me and roared himself in a language I didn't understand.

The sensation of feeling Eric was strange, but not unpleasant. It was like there was a hum at the back of my mind, and I could feel his pleasure and contentment almost as keenly as I could feel my own. He was whispering to me in his own language, and despite my intrigue, I couldn't bring myself to ask him what he meant.

I relaxed myself onto his chest and he wrapped his arms tightly around me. It was a surprisingly intimate position, and I laid my head on his silent chest as I got my breath back. I tried to sort through my emotions to deduce what was my own, something I found quite difficult in that moment.

"Why are you confused?" he eventually asked, running his fingertips down my back as I leaned up to meet his eyes.

"I am finding it hard to deduce which are my emotions and which are yours."

He smiled. "That is because right now what we are feeling very similar. When we are at more opposing emotional states, you will find it easier to distinguish which are my emotions." He pulled me close to him again, and I couldn't help but giggle. I felt his curiosity, and I answered him without him needing to vocalise his thought.

"I'm just surprised that a thousand-year-old vampire king is so fond of snuggling."

He placed a kiss on my head. "Just don't tell anyone, you'll ruin my reputation!"

I sat up to meet his eyes, his length hardening again inside me at my sudden movement, and both of us groaning with pleasure.

"You don't normally snuggle?" I asked him once I was able to find coherent thought.

"No, Sookie. My previous partners have been for feeding and fucking," he said a little harshly." I have not allowed one of them to know where I sleep during the day and I do not spend any time with them after I have met my cravings. You … you are different."

I could feel a whole range of complex emotions roll off him, and I was fairly certain he clamped down on what I was feeling from him. This was going to take a lot of getting used to.

"You are taking a huge risk in having me here," I stated.

"I am. A vampire will never let any of his human pets be with him during the day," I bristled at the use of the term pet, but Eric placed a comforting hand on my cheek. "But you are different."

"You trust me." It was a statement of fact rather than a question.

"Yes."

I rolled my hips on his, and Eric's eyes shot back into the back of his head. "Woman! You are trying to kill me!"

I couldn't help but smile, and I did it once more. "You should not tease a horny vampire, Miss Stackhouse!" His eyes were intense, and he leaned up and placed a kiss on my lips. "But as much as I do wish to fuck you again, dawn is fast approaching and I wish to discuss tomorrow night with you."

I reluctantly rolled off him, and in a flash he had disappeared out of the room, but only to reappear a few moments later with a dampened washcloth and gently wiped me clean.

"Are you sore?" he asked with concern in his eyes.

"Not sore, a little stretched maybe." I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Some find me too big …" he started before I slapped him on the shoulder. He gave me a grin before puncturing the tip of his finger and inserting it back inside me. I moaned at the sensation as I felt him spreading his blood inside me to heal any soreness.

"Thank you,"

"I do not wish you to be hurting. Although after you have had me a few times, you will not be sore anymore."

"You're assuming I will sleep with you again." I kept my face blank, but I was giggling inside. The expression on Eric's face told me that he felt it as well.

"Sookie, Sookie, Sookie!" he scolded, shaking his head. "I call bullshit. After having me once there is no way that you could not want me again." His arrogance was strangely attractive. "But this is what we need to speak about." His face was serious now, and he tucked the blankets around me once more to protect me from the chill in the room.

"The ceremony you mentioned?"

"Yes. It is a pledging ceremony and it will seal the bond that we have formed here. It is recognised within the vampire world as something akin to a marriage, and for all intents and purposes, you would be considered my wife."

I took a deep and calming breath. "This feels very much like an arranged marriage," I said quietly.

"You are right in your comparison. I understand what you have said about your ideals for romance, but you have said yourself that you would be unable to have a normal relationship. You have accepted this world much better than I would have imagined, but you must realise the danger you are in. You are part-fairy and the great-granddaughter of the ruling Prince. That alone is cause for enough trouble, but you are also a telepath and therefore highly prized within the vampire world."

I grumbled slightly at the thought of being highly prized.

"Sookie, I know that you do not like it, but if you weren't with me, Sophie-Anne or someone else would have taken you. Am I really that bad?" he fake pouted and I rolled my eyes.

"I've already said that I do feel something for you, Eric, and I know I could be in a much worse place. I guess I'm just wary of where this will lead. I don't know you, I don't know the world you live in, and I can only assume that that world has just become infinitely more complicated by you being King."

"You are right in saying that." I moved to snuggle into him, and he lifted an arm to draw me into his broad and firm chest. "But I am committing myself to you both by blood and vampire lore. We will find a way to make this work, Sookie. This is new for both of us, and maybe we have been forced together by the circumstances." He ran his hand down my arm. "But then, I don't doubt you would have caved into to me eventually. I can be quite persistent."

"You have a truly massive ego," I stated.

He looked down at his groin and pumped his hips off the bed. "Too true." I slapped him on the chest while stifling a yawn. "You are tired, and you seem to be pulling vampire hours. It is an only half an hour until dawn, get some sleep. I will explain the ceremony and procedure to you tomorrow evening."

I leaned up and placed a soft kiss on his lips. He responded to my kiss, placing a hand around my face and kissing me tenderly. I smiled at him once our lips parted and then turned away from him, curling up on my favoured right side to sleep. I felt Eric tuck the covers tightly around me, and I was sure that he was watching me as I dropped off to sleep, but I was too tired to really be bothered by it.

.

**Eric**

I could feel that dawn was approaching, but I laid awake as long as possible watching Sookie in my bed. I knew that Pam thought I was crazy to even consider allowing her to sleep with me, but I did trust her. In all honesty, I was confused by what I felt for this human. She had stirred up something within me that I had not felt in a very long time and I did not truly understand it. And what's more, she seemed intent on me analysing exactly what that was.

The problem was that if I did show any kind of emotional attachment to her, I knew that it would only complicate both our lives further. It was one thing bonding her to me as a telepath, any monarch would have done the same, but to form an emotional attachment to her was dangerous for both of us.

After the dawn had taken me, I woke at my usual time to find that Sookie was tightly in my arms. I buried my head into her hair, and I could tell that she had showered while I had been out for the day; the smell of soap fresh on her skin. She fidgeted in my arms, and I pulled her closer to me, my left arm trailing down her bare body. I was painfully hard when I realised that she had climbed back into bed with me while naked.

"Mmmm, evening. Did you sleep well?"

I felt her humour. "I'd say like the dead, but you were definitely much stiller than me."

"You have showered. Have you eaten as well?"

"I have, thank you." She moved in my arms, and I gave her enough room to turn to face me. "Are you hungry?" her expression was decidedly challenging, but I could feel her lust.

"Are you offering?"

"Yes. I'm sure I know how to work a microwave."

I growled playfully and moved on top of her, my erection sandwiched between us. "That is not my only hunger, lover." I nipped at her neck. "And I seem to remember you promising to satisfy me."

She got serious for a moment. "This does seem crazy considering that I know you so little, but I don't want you going elsewhere. I want you, and god strike me down, but I want to be the one you feed from and fuck." She laughed sardonically to herself. "I guess I'm putting the feminist movement back by a few decades!"

I could feel the turmoil within her. She was a strong and confident woman, who was used to the ways of her modern life, so I didn't doubt that this was difficult for her to get used to. But in complete honesty, after spending a few hours with her the night before, the thought of fucking anyone else was almost repulsive. And her blood, too, was infinitely better than any of the women I'd had of late, and there were probably only a few that even compared to her that I could remember.

I quickly cast that thought aside and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "This will be hard for you, and I will be a very different vampire when I am being the King to how I am with you now. But I do wish to be with you."

She seemed happy enough with my response, and I rubbed myself against her. It didn't take too long before we were both in the throes of passion and I was happily buried inside of her. I hadn't planned to feed from her considering I had taken a fair bit the night before, but I was unable to deny her when she was begging me to bit her. As soon as I did, we were both sent gloriously over the edge and I relished at the way her muscles clamped down on me.

Once I had showered and changed, I showed Sookie the clothes I had provided for her. I was aware that many vampires liked their pets to live up to the stereotype, and tended to dress them in barely-there black and red numbers in leather or lace, but I wanted Sookie to look classier than that. The dress I had chosen for her was black, but it was full length and flowing with a short train and a fitted strapless bodice. In short, it was fit for a Queen.

"Wow!" was Sookie's comment when she saw the dress. "It's gorgeous! I have to admit I imagined you were going to dress me in black leather!"

"Not that I wouldn't love to see you in black leather, I would prefer you in this."

"Well thank you."

As she was changing I explained what would happen during the night's festivities. I was going to be formally announced as King of Louisiana, and I had left instructions for Pam and Thalia (who I had named as my other lieutenant) to notify the other Louisiana Sheriffs that they were expected at Fangtasia tonight. Those who did not attend would be told to leave the state or forfeit their existence. I explained the ceremony itself, which was in itself decidedly simple, and I handed her the ceremonial knife that had used the night before to cut me before taking my blood.

"Why do I get the feeling this dagger is quite valuable?" she asked with a knowing smile as she wrapped it up in its velvet pouch and placed it in the black purse I had provided for her.

"You are remarkably perceptive, Sookie!" I got up and placed my hands on her shoulders. I was dressed in my normal attire of black jeans, heavy boots and a black vest top. "It is something I acquired many centuries ago, and there are not too many others in known existence. This one has been 'missing' for some time."

"Ever the opportunist," she said under her breath.

"I do not deny that. Now come, let us leave. This is likely to be an eventful night."

I held out a hand to her. "As long as it's less eventful than last night, I'm okay."

"I can't promise that."

I led her back up to the surface level garage and helped her into the Corvette. "Um, how did Pam get back if she left you your car?" she asked. "I didn't see any other cars when we came in here last night."

"She would have ran back. I cannot say that I was too pleased with my progeny yesterday."

"She's allowed to not like me," she argued.

I sighed. "I cannot work out why you feel the need to feel the need to defend her. She has been nothing but rude to you, and she will learn not to displease me."

"I guess she's quite stubborn then!"

"She is. Probably even more so than you are!"

"Well, she has had decades of practice," she said in an even tone before smiling at me. I could feel her nerves, however.

"I will keep you safe, Sookie."

We arrived at Fangtasia at ten in the evening, and I was pleased to see that all my Area vampires were already at the club and setting up the club. Pam was barking out orders and she had done a good job in arranging the club as I had desired. The human revellers would be told that the club was closed for the night for a private party, and any of them who hung around too long were likely to find themselves on the menu.

I sensed Sookie's nervousness when it came to Pam, and I called her over to us and went into my office.

"You know that I have bonded with Sookie," I stated. She would have felt the change in the bond she shared with me at the inclusion of Sookie. She nodded her affirmation. "You will respect her, and you will protect her." I had made it in an order, and she bowed to me.

"Of course, Eric."

I let Sookie sit down on the sofa while I went through arrangements with Pam for the evening. After a while, Sookie's phone went, and I looked up at her.

"It's Amelia. Do you mind if I answer this?"

I appreciated her asking, although I wasn't too sure if she realised that I would hear both sides of the conversation. The gist of the call was that Amelia had heard via her wolf boyfriend that I was now king, and she had been concerned about her friend when she went by her house to find that she was not home. I didn't know how much the witch knew of my relationship with Sookie, but my part-fairy skilfully appeased her friend without giving too much information away.

I ploughed through some work that needed to be attended to while Pam and Thalia were greeting the guests. Pam had successfully got hold of a large stock of donor blood from a local hospital, which had been decanted into glasses as well as some well-glamoured humans on tap for those that did not wish to drink from the champagne flutes. Sookie was replying to some of her own emails on her phone, and I did feel momentarily guilty that she would be missing her own work because of this.

We were certainly going to have to sort out some kind of living arrangements, and it was something I needed to discuss with her sooner rather than later. As my bonded and soon-to-be pledged, it would be expected that she would live with me. But I also was aware of her own independence and wish to work, and if she planned on doing that, she was going to have werewolf guards whether she liked it or not. During the sunlight hours she would be in too much danger of being kidnapped for me to not have her guarded.

At midnight I went out into the main room of Fangtasia and greeted with the guests who had made the trip. All of my former fellow sheriffs had made the trip to show their fealty to me, along with the recently promoted Rasul. The kings of the three neighbouring states had also made the journey into Louisiana for the evening's festivities, although it was only Stan Davis of Texas that I was pleased to see, and I certainly did not trust Arkansas King Peter Threadgill. It had been no secret that he wanted Louisiana for himself and he had been in discussions with Sophie-Anne for talks of a marriage. I was sure that they were both secretly plotting to kill each other once the ceremony had gone ahead.

It was Stan Davis who would be presiding over the ceremony, and after I had announced to all the vampires in the bar that I was now King of Louisiana, Sookie took her cue and came into the room.

All the vampire's eyes were on her as she made her entrance, and many of their fangs ran down as they took her in. She not only looked beautiful, but she smelt delicious as well; the searing kiss I had given her before leaving my office enough to make sure my scent was all over her and combined with the faint smell of her arousal. I knew she'd probably be traumatised if she realised that, but she didn't need to know all my tricks.

Her eyes were on mine as she walked confidently up to the dais where I was stood, the train of her dress filling the path around her. She did exactly as I had asked her to, nodding her head to me and kneeling on one knee. Her eyes met mine as she pulled the ceremonial knife out of its velvet case and presented it to me with another nod of her head. "My King," she said graciously.

"I accept this," I said to her, and she rose to stand next to me.

"We are all witness to this pledging; are there any that dispute this claim?" Stan Davis asked of the vampires in the room. My right hand was almost itching for my sword to decapitate any vampire that dared to stake a claim on her, but unfortunately for my blood lust, none did. When no vampire spoke up, the Texan King continued. "No? Well I announce that for the next one hundred years, Eric Northman, King of Louisiana, and Sookie Stackhouse are both bonded and pledged."

A loud cheer went up around the room, and the human waitresses came out wearing very little and carrying more trays of blood for my guests. I could see that Sookie was not entirely comfortable with what was about to happen, and I escorted her and Stan to my office to complete the paperwork.

"Are you okay?" I asked once Stan had left and the necessary papers had been submitted to the council.

"This is just all … it's all very strange for me. Those waitresses … they're glamoured, but they are completely up for sex, and the more dangerous the better."

I could feel a surge of jealousy from her. On the one hand I was quite pleased that she did feel possessive of me, but on the other I didn't want her to be offended by those women, or think that I had any interest in feeding from them or fucking them.

I drained the glass of blood I had brought into my office with me, and pulled her onto my lap. "I am not interested in those women," I could feel her surprise. "Sookie, in some senses that shocks me even more than it does you. Before I met you I would not have thought twice about having any, if not all of them," she raised an eyebrow. "But now, I do not wish to."

She sighed. "You were right in saying this is going to be strange for both of us. I was never really the jealous sort when I was with Alcide. Well, until he upped and ran off with Debbie, anyway." I felt myself bristle with anger at the naming of both of them. "But I do feel very possessive of you. I don't know, is it your blood in me that makes me feel that way?"

"No. My blood would only enhance what you feel. If you weren't attracted to me, you would not feel that strongly towards me." I shot her a charming grin before changing the subject. "But I was hoping to talk to you about your family."

She looked a little surprised. "You know, I haven't really thought about them at all in all this. If it wasn't for Amelia calling me earlier, I probably wouldn't have told her either. Do you think my great-grandfather will be okay with this? Aren't vampires and the Fae some kind of enemies?"

"Trust me, Sookie, if Niall did not wish this to go ahead he would have made himself known by now." It was something that had concerned me, as he no doubt was the one who could stop Sookie from bonding with me. "But that is not the family I wished to talk to you about."

"Okay … who then?"

"I wanted to talk to you about Hadley."

* * *

**So, what do you think? What will Sookie think about Hadley? What will Jason think of all this? Does Niall have an ulterior motive?**

**As I said above, updating will not be as often as it has been, but if I can write more, I will do.**

**;)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Okay, so this is a day earlier than planned, and longer than usual. You can see how well my learning is going! Thanks to everyone who is taking the time to read this.**

**On with Sookie's point of view…**

* * *

**Sookie**

I hadn't thought at all about Hadley in all of this. And to be honest, I really hadn't thought about what the reaction would be of any of my friends or family. Obviously, Amelia and Tray knew all about Eric being a vampire, but when I had spoken to her earlier on in the evening, I hadn't told her that our bond had been completed or that I'd essentially married him. And I knew perfectly well that neither one of them would be pleased with me and would no doubt tell me what a huge mistake I had made.

And what was I meant to tell those that didn't know all about Eric being a vampire and the supernatural world we lived in? Jason was ignorant to most things outside his immediate world, and there was no way that I could tell him about any of this for risk of him shouting his mouth off. But did I tell him anything about Eric, or did I just remain quiet? I didn't see that much of my brother, and when I did it was normally because he wanted something from me. I therefore quickly came to the conclusion that it would be better for Jason to remain in ignorance of all this.

But Hadley. As far as I knew from both Eric and Amelia, she was a vampire and had been made vampire by the Queen. The now dead Queen, that is. I didn't really understand the nature of the relationship between a maker and child, but from observing Eric and Pam, he obviously had some control over her, and they could feel each other's emotions. Eric had explained that it was in some ways similar to the bond that we shared; only I imagined that as they were both vampires, they had the opportunity to shut down either end.

"Sookie?" Eric prompted when I hadn't said anything, his fingertips running down my spine.

"I hadn't thought about her," I confessed. "But she was the Queen's child, right?"

"She was. And she would have felt her maker's death keenly. Young vampires are very volatile if they lose their maker, and Hadley was caught nearly draining a werewolf in the former Queen's complex in New Orleans."

"What happened?" I asked, horrified.

"She was detained and held securely." He looked at me seriously, and I could already tell that I wasn't going to like what he had to say. "Sookie, right now she is a danger to herself, humans and other vampires."

"Okay, so …" I waited for him to carry on.

He let out an unnecessary sigh. "Given a few decades she may calm down enough to be trusted, but she will want to kill me as the vampire that destroyed her maker."

"No!" I exclaimed. I hated the thought of anyone doing harm to Eric.

He turned me so that I was facing him on his lap and essentially straddling hid lap. "The only other option is to end her."

I didn't like that option any more than the first one. "Can you not just hold her until she's calmed down and make her leave the state?"

"I could, but that doesn't mean she would be trusted. In a fair fight, she would not come close to beating me. But as I said, a young vampire who has lost their maker is volatile and has little control."

"Is this up to me?" I asked of him.

"She is your cousin. I need to do what is best, and letting her go right now is not an option." He paused briefly and placed a chaste kiss on my forehead. "Would you like to see her?"

"She's here?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes. I had Rasul bring her with him. She is being detained in the cells downstairs."

"I haven't seen her for years," I mused.

"You don't have to," he said gently.

"No, I would like to. Is it safe?" I searched his eyes for an answer.

"Yes. She's not being restricted but she is being held in a silver cell to stop her from escaping. Come, I'll take you to her."

He picked me up off his lap and led me out of his office and to a door that I hadn't noticed before. Obviously, this led to the basement, and I already knew that he had kept Bill Compton down there. I wasn't entirely sure I would feel comfortable down there.

Nevertheless, I followed Eric down the dark stairs to the basement. There were numerous doors that were shut, and I wasn't too sure I wanted to know who or what were behind them, so I didn't ask. Eric led me into one of the rooms, which seemed to be a corridor with cells to one side. It reminded me in some senses of _Silence of the Lambs_, but I didn't make the comparison out loud.

It seemed that only one of the cells was in use, and Eric led me to Hadley. She looked very similar to how I remembered her, her blonde hair a few shades lighter than mine, and her features maybe more refined. But worryingly she had this terrifying look in her eyes that almost seemed to be bordering on madness. I wondered whether it was as a result of her maker being killed.

The room she was in was small, but had a bed along one wall and a plastic chair in the other corner. Obviously, luxuries such as a bathroom or toilet weren't needed by a vampire, and I could see an empty donor blood bag in the trash, so at least she wasn't going hungry. The bars that separated her from me were silver coloured, and I could only assume that there were made of the precious metal to prevent her from making an escape.

Hadley appraised me briefly before her eyes fixed on Eric, an almost murderous glint in them.

"I will kill you," she hissed at him.

"No, you won't," he said in an even and unconcerned tone before turning back to me. "Are you okay? You don't have to do this."

I appreciated his concern, but I did want to speak to her. "I'm fine, really."

He turned back to my cousin, his voice commanding. "Behave or you'll be in a silver-lined coffin. The only reason you are here is because you are Sookie's cousin." He placed a hand on my cheek briefly. "I will be ten minutes; there is a vampire I need to speak to. Any problems, use this." He handed me a plastic canister that seemed to resemble a small hairspray canister. I gave him a querying look and he clarified. "It is silver nitrate."

I had to admit that I was surprised he gave it to me, but I appreciated his looking after me. He leaned down to place a kiss on my head and disappeared out of the room. I turned to Hadley and sat down on the heavy plastic bench, which was outside her cell.

"How are you Hadley?" I asked her keeping my voice light and airy. "You know, we were all so concerned about you when you disappeared."

"Yeah, I'm sure you were!" she snarked, an eyebrow raised and her arms crossed across her chest.

"It is true. No one knew where you were! Gran even hired private detectives to try to find you."

"I didn't want to be found." Her voice was calmer this time. "I liked this life," she said after a few moments had passed. Her use of the past tense didn't go unnoticed. "And that asshole has ruined everything." She was obviously referring to Eric.

"Hadley, you were the one that told the Queen about me," I argued. "I liked my life as well! I didn't want to get drawn into all this, but the Queen sending Bill Compton to 'procure' me changed everything."

"She would have given you anything you wanted!" she snapped back.

"She would have kept me a prisoner!"

"What … like he is doing to me now?" she asked rhetorically. "Do you really think that being pledged to Eric Northman is going to give you a normal life?" I was surprised that Hadley knew about the circumstance with Eric. "I'm not deaf, Sookie," she said, obviously realising why I was surprised. "The door was kept deliberately open so I could hear what was going on."

"Why?"

"You always were naïve," she laughed humourlessly. "You need to know that nothing a vampire like Northman does is without some kind of ulterior motive. I have seen him at court, he is as much of an animal as any vampire, and probably worse than most. He is bloodthirsty, opportunistic and staunchly pragmatic. He was looking for an excuse to kill the Queen and take her power, and you have given him just that. And now he has his own pet telepath. Do you really think that it will be any different to being with Sophie-Anne?"

"He is letting me carry on with my life," I argued.

"Oh, he's letting you, is he?" she replied sarcastically. "How nice of him. He may want you to think that, but he doesn't and he won't. You have tied yourself to a shark and there's no coming back."

I didn't know what to say. In some ways, she really had managed to play on every fear I had of Eric. Was she right about what she said about him? I knew that I didn't know him that well, and things had happened very quickly, but I still believed that staying in Northern Louisiana was better than being taken by the Queen and held captive in New Orleans.

"Sookie," she said in a calm voice and I looked up and met her eyes. I was strangely enamoured by her, and she drew me deeply into herself. "Why don't you get the keys and let me out of here," she suggested. "And put the spray down."

I agreed completely with her; remembering that I had seen she keys hung up on a board as I entered the room. I left the silver nitrate on the bench and walked to the board, found the appropriate keys and set about unlocking the multiple locks that were on her cell.

"Open the door," she suggested lightly, and I did as she asked. "Why don't you come here?"

I walked up to my cousin so that I was standing only a foot or so away from her. My eyes were drawn to hers and she gave me a smile, her fangs peeking out from under her upper lip.

"Cousin, you do smell quite delicious! I can see why he is keeping you," she said, her eyes travelling to my neck. "I would very much like to drain you dry." She ran a finger down my cheek and down to my neck before moving closer to me and breathing in my scent. "You smell delicious, Sookie, I am looking forward to this very much."

She took hold of my arms tightly and bent her head to my neck. I felt her nose run along my throat before she licked my skin once and then sank her fangs into me, taking a large and greedy mouthful of my blood.

What was happening? I struggled, but my arms were being held tightly by a vampire and I was pushed with force against the metal wall. I panicked, clawing at the arms to try to get away, but I was being held firm. Was this Hadley who was biting me? Why was I inside the cell with her? The last thing I remembered was talking to her about Eric … how did I get here? I tried with all my might to try and conjure some kind of energy to blast my cousin away as I had done with Eric, but I couldn't. In fact, I could feel my life force slipping away with each mouthful that my cousin took of my blood.

"No!" I heard from somewhere, a loud crash accompanying the wail.

I felt the vampire who had been holding me in place ripped away from me, and my hand instantly shot to my neck as I felt the flesh tearing. I sank down onto the floor, but forced my eyes open to see a livid Eric stood over a pile of blood and guts with a wooden stake in his hand. He met my eyes, and I could see the wildness in them.

"Drink," he ordered as soon as he'd bitten into his own arm and thrust it in front of me. I didn't dare to refuse him, but I also recognised that I had lost a lot of blood and needed his to replenish it. I carried on drinking until he moved his arm away from me.

"You staked her," I whispered, stating the obvious.

"She was draining you." He held out a hand to me to help me up and he pulled me close to him, his cool tongue running over my neck to capture any blood that my now finally dead cousin had spilled. "Want to tell me how she was able to glamour you, considering I can't?"

"She did glamour me," I said, more to myself than to him. "How?"

He smiled. "I just asked you that one." He had calmed down considerably, and carried me to his office, sitting me down in the chair in front of his desk.

"So?" he asked as he knelt in front of me.

"I don't know … she just … she started talking to me and I couldn't refuse her. The next thing I knew she had her fangs in my neck and I was being pushed up against the wall. I have absolutely no idea what happened." Eric placed a finger under my chin so I met his gaze and I felt him press on my mind; giving me a headache in the process. "Quit it, will you!" I snapped, not in the mood for that kind of headache.

He sighed and stood up to sit behind his desk. "There is no real reason why Hadley was able to glamour you, yet I cannot. The only distinction is that she is related to you."

"Was."

"Correct," he agreed.

This was all too much. I had just watched my so-called husband murder my own cousin. I recognised that my cousin was trying to kill me, but besides Jason, Hadley had been the only family I had. I understood that she was a vampire, but she was still my family. I felt my eyes sting with tears, and I was completely unable to stop them from falling.

"You killed her." I stated quietly, my tears sliding down my cheeks. "You killed my cousin!" I repeated louder.

He raised an eyebrow and gave me an incredulous look. I couldn't feel anything from him so I assumed that he had closed the bond between us. "It was either that, Sookie, or she would have drained you."

"You didn't have to kill her!" I yelled at him as I angrily wiped away my tears.

"Yes I did. And as King I can do whatever I like."

"Oh, as King," I repeated sarcastically. "Of course, your Majesty, how could I forget?"

"Sookie, you will watch your tone." His voice was icy, and I could definitely feel a faint trace of his anger slipping through. Although I was feeling pretty damn angry myself. "I should not have left you alone with her, I appreciate that. But in biting you, she has committed a blood offence. I was well within my rights to kill her. It would have been expected, and she knew that."

I felt something within me snap, and the faint reign I had on my control slipped from me. "God, I have so had it with you lot trying to kill me!" I stood up and faced him. "I want to go home. I have work to do tomorrow, and need to be away from all .. this." I waved my arm around the room.

I watched him as his face hardened, yet I still got nothing through the bond. "I have done this for you. You are my wife," he said, his voice deathly calm.

"So you say, but that is no marriage ceremony I recognise. And you say you've done this for me?" I asked rhetorically. "I'm sure having your own personal telepath doesn't help you at all, does it? What is it? One over the other kings?" I stomped away from his as easily as I could in the huge dress I was wearing to the other side of the office before turning back to him. "In the last month or so I have been nearly killed on countless occasions," I spat, raising my arms in frustration. "And I wish I wasn't so attracted to you, as it would make this so much easier, but I need some space. I need normality. I am not part of your world."

"You are a Fae princess," he interjected. "You are part of this world whether you like it or not. Even if it wasn't for your telepathy, even if you hadn't met me, you would be part of this world."

"But I don't want to be!" I knew I was probably sounding like a petulant child, but I'd had enough.

Hadley trying to kill me was the final straw that broke the camel's back. I knew this had been coming for some time, and I had been surprising myself with how well I'd coped with everything. I'd never been good with change before; particularly not at the breakneck speed that things had been moving of late.

"I knew you had taken this too well," he said more to himself than me, and hand running through his long blond hair. "I knew you would hate me for bonding you to me." I went to protest, but he cut me off. "But know this, Sookie; I have done this for your own good as much as mine. Yes, having a telepath in my retinue will be beneficial, but I have only wanted you to be safe and I could not guarantee that with the Queen. And yes, me taking her position is advantageous to me, but it was to protect you as well."

He turned and faced away from me briefly before facing me again. "Go. Your bodyguards will be outside and if your detect vampires near your property it is because they are guarding you. I suggest that you also increase your own security at your office as well."

There was absolutely no arguing with him on this, I could tell. He pulled out a phone from his pocket and spoke quickly in a language I didn't recognise. A few moments later, there was a knock at the door and Pam and a middle-Eastern vampire came into the office.

"Sookie, this is Rasul, Sheriff of Area One. He will be driving you home tonight."

"Thank you," I said quietly, feeling small under Eric and Pam's gaze.

"Come, Mrs Northman," Rasul said, indicating for me to follow him. I couldn't help but bristle at being called Mrs Northman, but I didn't say anything. From the angry look on Eric's face, I knew that he felt my discomfort. I was led out the back of the club and into a large black Mercedes.

Rasul and I made a little small talk on the way back to Bon Temps, but for the most part, we were quiet. He saw me safely inside and I heard him drive off into the night. As I closed the front door tightly behind me, I couldn't help the tear that trickled down my cheek. I didn't want to be rude to Eric, and I did recognise everything that he had done for me, but I had been nearly killed by three different vampires, one crazy were and a fanatical human. It was too much.

I made my way to my bedroom and pulled off the gorgeous black dress, pleased to see that at least it hadn't been ripped, and there didn't appear to be any bloodstains on it. But then, I had no idea whether I'd ever get to wear it again. I brushed my teeth, washed my face and climbed into a pair of comfy yet faded pyjamas.

It took me a while to get to sleep, and when I did, my sleep was fitful. I woke often, but I remembered each and every of my dreams. And they were all of Eric. I wasn't sure if it was because of the blood I'd ingested, but then my dreams weren't the usual hot and steamy ones I'd been having of him. In these he was always distant and out of reach. He was surrounded by women – vampire, human, were and other – but I could never get to him and seemed oblivious of me. I didn't know what my subconscious was trying to tell me, but it was certainly relating to the events of the evenings before.

I was eventually woken by the unwelcome ringing of my house phone. I always worked from home on Mondays, so it wasn't too unusual to be phoned at home if I didn't answer my cell in time. I hauled myself out of my bed and ran quickly down the stairs to pick it up.

"Hello," my voice was full of sleep, and I wished that I'd noticed what time I had got back. Looking at the clock in the living room I could see that it was a little after nine.

"_Miss Stackhouse, it's Dave Kessler, I hope that I haven't woken you…"_

Dave was my head of security, although I had also recently realised that he was a were of sorts. From the look of him, I'd imagined he was a wolf, and he did seem to know Alcide they few times they had met.

"No, that's fine. What can I do for you?"

"_I'm sorry to bother you at home, but some contractors from Area Five have just arrived at reception saying they are here to make security improvements."_

I sighed to myself as soon as I heard him mention Area Five. Eric had mentioned that my security would need improving in my office, but I hadn't expected him to act quite so quickly, particularly the way things had ended between us the night before. But as much as I was annoyed at his high-handedness, it did also show that he was out to keep me safe.

"Yes … um, sorry about not telling you, it was only arranged over the weekend." I could only imagine how much it sounded like I was lying.

Dave didn't say anything for a moment, but I could hear that he was moving. _"Miss Stackhouse, may I be frank with you?"_

"Of course." I was intrigued to know what he was going to say, but I had a feeling I already knew.

"_I won't deny that maybe security could be stepped up if you are concerned, but I am not sure Area Five is the company to be using."_

I decided it might be best to be honest with him. "Dave, how safe is this line? Can we be overheard?"

"_No, ma'am. The line is secure."_

I took a deep breath. "I know that Eric Northman is a vampire. And I know that you are a were. I can't go into how I know, but I do. Mr Northman has arranged this security for me, but I want you to supervise. Is that okay?"

"_Certainly. I will pass on your instructions."_

"And I'm sure I don't need to tell you to keep it quiet that I know these things…"

"_Of course. They have asked for full access to the building, and also to know your schedule."_

I sighed once more. "That is okay. Just keep an eye on them, and report back to me if there are any problems."

After hanging up, I made myself a large and strong mug of coffee while putting some bread in the toaster and pulling the peanut butter out of the fridge. Even without seeing Eric, he was managing to cause upheaval in my life, and I didn't doubt that there were other things I knew nothing of. Eric had mentioned guards to me the night before, and said that my property would be watched at night by vampires.

What I couldn't understand was why he was doing all this. Was I really in that much risk of being taken? Did he really value me as a telepath that highly that he must stop other vampires from stealing me from him, even though he'd already bonded and married me?

I decided I didn't want to think about it anymore, and I made a conscious decision not to. I took a hot shower and changed into a pair of baggy jeans and a hooded top and sat down at my desk to work. I managed to distract myself suitably, only stopping to make drinks, the odd snack and an omelette around lunchtime.

I had also been suitably distracted when there was a knock at the door. I looked up, noticing that it wasn't dark enough to be a vampire, and extended by sixth sense to reveal that it was Amelia. I shut the lid of my laptop and went to let her in. As soon as I opened the door, she was on me and pulling me into a huge hug.

"I'm so pleased you're okay!"

"Meels, I'm fine!" I pulled back from her and led her to the kitchen to make some tea for both of us. "Why wouldn't I be?" I didn't know quite how much she knew.

"Apart from the fact that Eric Northman is now the Vampire King of Louisiana? The vampire that you have exchanged blood with," she paused, a serious look on her face. "Sook, it isn't safe for you. You should leave or something. I know a spell that could break the bond that's been formed so far."

I indicated for her to follow me into the more comfortable living room, and I curled up in my favourite chair. "It's a little too late for that. I'm fully bonded to him, and pledged."

"Pledged? What does that mean? It doesn't sound good."

"Honestly, I'm not too sure myself. Essentially it's a marriage."

Her mouth dropped open in surprise. "You're married to him as well as being blood bonded? Did he trick you into this?"

"No. I agreed to it."

"Why?"

It was a good question. "Because …" I started, but I found it hard to complete the sentence.

"Sook?" Amelia prompted when I hadn't said anything.

"Because it would be him or some other vampire, and he will treat me better than others." Amelia looked horrified.

"Why? And how do you know that he's the better option?"

"The why is because I'm a telepath, and telepaths are highly valued in the vampire world."

"Fine, I can understand that," she relented. "But how do you even know that he is the better vampire to be tied to. To be married to! Tray has said that he is dangerous, vicious and unrelentingly bloodthirsty. No offence, Sook, but that isn't your type."

She was probably right to some extent. "Amelia, he killed the Queen because she wanted to take me to New Orleans with her. She was going to have me bond to her child, and I'd have been held as a slave. Believe me when I say that Eric is the better option."

Amelia was silent, but she was looking at me with interest. I didn't need to peek into her mind to know that she was thinking about a lot. "You like him, don't you." I didn't answer that. Things were already too complicated on that one, and I didn't need Amelia making things more complicated. "Have you slept with him?"

"Yes," I admitted, trying to keep the smile of my face but not succeeding.

"Sook," she said in a warning tone.

"I know, Amelia. I do know how completely I have gotten in over my head. Everything has happened so quickly, and I haven't even told you about the part where I'm one-eighth fairy and my great-grandfather is the Prince of the fairy realm!" She looked stunned at that piece of information. "And how about the fact that I have these crazy powers, or that my cousin Hadley nearly drained me last night? And she would have had Eric not dragged her off me and staked her." I got up from my seat and began pacing around the room. I could feel Amelia's eyes on me as I did so. "I don't want any of this!" I said exasperated. "Yes, I'm attracted to him, and you have no idea how much I wish he could just be a normal man, and I could be a normal woman. But I'm not and he's not. I argued with him last night about all this, and now he's shut down the bond between us and I don't know where the hell I stand!"

I finally sank down back into my chair, feeling somewhat better for my rant, but at the same time an absolute emotional wreck. Amelia came over to me and placed an arm around me. She silently comforted me for ten minutes or so until I began to feel a little bit more normal.

"What do I do?" I finally asked her.

"Maybe you do need a little space to think things through. It sounds like a hell of a lot has happened to you recently, and you need to work out what it all means for you. You know that I will be here for you if you need to talk."

"Thanks, Meels. And you're right, I think I do need a little time to myself."

"Want to give me the more detailed lowdown?"

I did just that, and I didn't leave anything out. I told her everything from my initial meeting with Eric at Area Five, meeting my Fae family and agreeing to sell Eric the land, to what had happened over the weekend and his staking of my cousin. During the course of our conversation, I'd cooked us a meal of chicken fried steak and salad, and we'd worked our way through a bottle of white wine between us. At the end of the evening, Amelia hugged me once more and I promised to keep in touch with her.

I appreciated my friend's concern for my well-being, and it really did help that I could tell her everything that had gone on. I wasn't really sure how much I should have told her, but I needed to vent, and I felt a whole lot better for it. I supposed it was true when they said a problem shared is a problem halved. But then that still left me with one major problem, even if it did seem less daunting now I'd told Amelia everything.

For the rest of the week I went about my business as best as I could. But it didn't escape my notice that there was a car parked opposite the drive to my house (which had two weres in it), and it didn't escape my notice that wherever I went, I was followed at a distance. Maybe if Eric hadn't told me that I had bodyguards I wouldn't have realised, but I did know, and I did see them.

The changes to the office set up were more discrete. Dave told me that there were increased security personnel in the building, and also additional cameras around the offices. It even turned out that Amelia had been asked to ward areas of the building against intruders, something she had phoned to tell me about as soon as she'd been asked by Eric.

And then there were the vampires around my property at night. There seemed to be one permanent void in the vicinity, but I had noticed that others came and went. I didn't know whether Eric came by at all, as he had kept the bond completely shut off from me, but there were definitely vampires watching over me at night.

I couldn't help but wonder if all this was overkill. Was I really that valuable that I needed daytime bodyguards, increased security at work, and vampire protection at night? It seemed crazy and unnecessary, and the more I thought about it the more annoyed I got by the whole circumstance. It was high-handed of Eric to presume that I needed all this, and I was annoyed with him for making me feel like a prisoner within my own home.

But thinking of Eric caused other complications. My dreams of him had not subsided, and they'd continued in the same vein as the ones I'd had after Hadley had tried to drain me. I tried not to think of him, but I found that more and more he crept into my thoughts. Was I missing him? In my dreams, he seemed to becoming increasingly distant from me, and I couldn't help but wonder whether there was some truth behind it.

I had always expected him or Pam to come by my house and tell me what an idiot I had been, but neither did come. And the more I wondered if they'd come past and accuse me of such mistakes, the more I wondered if they would be right to accuse me of such things.

It was late on the Saturday afternoon following, and I was close to giving in and calling Amelia to go to Fangtasia with me. I'd spent the day doing chores, going to the supermarket to catch up and finishing off my Christmas shopping online. I'd been debating about whether I should buy anything for Eric and Pam, and in the end, I did. I'd found a claw-shaped bronze pendant that somehow looked like it would suit him. And for Pam I'd found a white gold bracelet and amethyst that I liked, and I hoped she would as well. Of course, I had no idea if I'd ever give them the gifts, but I wanted to be prepared.

Just as I was about to pick up my phone to call Amelia, there was a knock at the door. I hadn't heard anyone come up the drive, and a scan of the surroundings informed me that the brain pattern seemed distinctly fairy. I opened the door to see Claudine stood there, looking a million dollars like she had the previous time I'd met her.

"Claudine, please come in."

She did so, and I made us both some coffee. "How have you been, Sookie?" she asked me, a concerned look on her face.

"I'm okay," I lied.

She sighed and placed her cup gently down on the table. "You are bonded and pledged to the vampire?" she asked me.

"Can I ask how you know that? I can't imagine you keep vampire company." I was genuinely shocked that she seemed to know what was going on.

"You are my charge, Sookie. Call me your fairy godmother. I know what is happening in your life."

She knew. "So, what, you spy on me?" My voice sounded pricklier than I had intended.

"Not as such. You have your privacy, Sookie, I wouldn't invade that. But consider me your guardian angel, if you will. I am here to make sure nothing bad happens to you."

"So is everyone else," I said under my breath.

She gave me a warm smile. "Have you not considered that there is a reason for that?"

"I have, I just … I feel like I'm out of control of my own life."

"That is understandable," she said sympathetically. "But we are here for a reason."

"I don't even understand what is happening to me. I seem to have these crazy powers that Eric seems to think is because I can control the air around me."

"He is right. And you have the essence to be very powerful, something that is going to be enhanced by any vampire blood you consume. Your tie to him will make you stronger, and in time you will be perfectly capable of looking after yourself, but now you are vulnerable."

I sank back into my chair feeling like a petulant teenager. "I take it that you or Niall aren't concerned about me bonding with a vampire. Aren't you meant to be natural enemies?"

"We are, and we certainly have been in the past. But the North Man has been an ally of Niall's in bygone times, and as far as vampires go, Eric is considered to be an honourable one."

"Was he chosen for me?" I asked, not liking the idea that my life was even further out of my control.

"No. Although whether it could be considered fate that he moved to the area where you were born. It is possible that there are greater forces at work that none of us understand."

"That's ridiculous," I scoffed.

"Maybe, but it's also a possibility." She sipped on her coffee before placing the mug back down. "What do you feel for him?" she asked.

"That's complicated," I answered truthfully. "I'm not entirely sure myself. I'm attracted to him – any woman with eyes would be – but I feel safe in his company. And he is very talented in bed."

Claudine raised an eyebrow and smirked at me. "He is well regarded in that aspect. I trust he is in proportion?"

"You mean you weren't looking in?" I shot back.

"No, but maybe I should do!" she laughed with a wink.

I blushed a little. "He is very much in proportion. God, he'll kill me for talking about him this way."

"I doubt that very much. Vampires are not known for their modesty." She smiled briefly before her face became more serious. "But tell me, this past week; have you missed him?"

"Yes," I whispered. "When you came by I was considering calling Amelia to come with me to Fangtasia tonight to see him. I guess we probably have more to discuss."

"I can only imagine you do. Sookie, you need to trust him. I don't know him myself, but for Niall to trust him with your safety means that he must be up to the task. He has walked this planet for over a millennium; you need to trust his judgement."

"I want to lead my own life," I argued. "I don't want to be someone's pet."

"Has he treated you in such a way?"

"He …" I wanted to mention all the added security measures he had put in place, but I had realised he'd only do them because I had stubbornly refused to stay by his side. "I suppose not. He is high-handed and forceful at times."

"You are his Queen. It is a position in itself within vampire community. You may not be a vampire, but as his wife you will be respected as one." I wasn't too sure I liked the idea of that. "You should go and see him before this carries on too long. It will only cause resentment between the two of you." I couldn't help but wonder if she knew something she was not telling me. "I will help you get ready for this evening."

She did just that. After showering and shaving off all excess hair, Claudine gave me a lotion, that would apparently 'drive Eric crazy', which I rubbed into my skin, and then she produced this gorgeous couture off-white knee-length dress, which had black lace at the bottom. It was strapless and she'd also brought a pair of white and black pumps. All of which fitted me perfectly.

"I got it for you," Claudine informed me when I asked about the clothes and whether she wanted them back. "And you will look gorgeous in this."

She arranged my hair into gentle curls, and expertly applied my make up so that I had dramatic and smoky eyes, but with only a little lip gloss on to keep the look fairly neutral. When I pulled on the dress, I could see that Claudine was right. I did look good.

While she'd been working on me, I had been sat trying to think of what the hell to say to Eric when, or if, I saw him. And by the time I was ready, I was no closer to knowing what I would do. In desperation, I asked Claudine – she was meant to be by fairy godmother, after all.

"I can't tell you that," she said with a small smile. "I might be here to get you out of trouble, but I can't influence you in any way. All I can say is that you should be honest with him. Tell him what you have told me. You know it won't be easy, but just open your heart up to him. You may not be able to sense him, but in close proximity like that, he will be able to feel your emotions."

"Thanks!" I said with a sarcastic smile.

"You will be okay," she said with surprising reassurance. "Now, how do you fancy a lift to Fangtasia? Obviously, I can't take you too close as we may be seen and I have no intention of getting too close to vampires, but it is a much quicker way to travel."

"You're going to teleport me to Shreveport?"

"It's the only way to travel," she said with a wink. "Do you have everything?"

I picked up a white purse that matched my dress and nodded my head. We stepped out onto the porch, and I locked the door behind me. Claudine took hold of both of my hands and before I knew it I was in Shreveport and not far from Fangtasia. I had to admit that it was very disorientating, and I felt a little sick, but it was certainly a damn site quicker than driving.

"Okay?" she asked and I nodded. She pulled a spray out of her bag and began spraying a fine mist over me. "It will dampen my scent. I don't want you being attacked the second you walk into the club."

"Thanks."

"Give me your phone, I'll let you have my number in case you need to call me." I did just that and she programmed her number into my cell, calling hers briefly so she had my number as well. "You'll be fine, Sookie," she told me, obviously sensing my nervousness. "Just be honest with him. And if you have any problems, give me a call."

I thanked her, and then she disappeared into thin air once more. I took a deep and calming breath before walking around the corner to the club. As it still only quite early, the queue to get in wasn't too long, and since Pam was the vampire on the door, I went to the back to wait my turn.

Being this close to him, I could feel Eric's life force and the tie that bound us together, but I could not sense any emotions from him, suggesting that it was still closed off. I kept my head down as I crept forward in the queue, and before I knew it I was standing in front of Pam. I was suddenly worried that she wouldn't actually let me in.

"Sookie," she said in her bored and flat tone. She ran her eyes over me and briefly inhaled the air around me before arching a manicured eyebrow.

"Pam, hi. Can I come in?"

"Are you here to see Eric?"

"Yes."

"Twenty dollars." She held out her hand for me to pay the cover charge, and I dug through my purse to find my wallet. When I handed it to her, she moved aside to let me. "I hope you enjoy seeing him."

I didn't know what she meant, but I walked into the club and up to the bar. I quickly ordered a gin and tonic before scanning around the club in search of Eric. His usual seat up on the dais was empty, as was the booth he had sat with me in, but it didn't take long to notice that he was actually stood at the bar only a few metres away from me. And he was talking to two women who seemed to be beside themselves in getting his attention.

Eric was stood tall and was wearing a pair of dark jeans with a short-sleeved black shirt that was struggling to hold in his perfect form. He looked dangerous yet inviting, and his blond hair was loose around his shoulders. I could hardly blame the two women for fawning over him. As I stared at him, he met my eyes briefly, before lowering his gaze back to the two women in front of him. I noticed that he had what looked like a glass of dark liqueur in his hand, which he was swirling around, but obviously had no intention of drinking. Keeping up the human appearance, I guessed.

I tried to focus on my own drink, but I could not fight the rising jealousy that was growing within me. Was he going to sleep with them? Had he been sleeping with other women in the week since I last saw him? I was aware that he'd told me he wouldn't, but then I had walked away from him, and I hardly kept him satisfied. Was he looking around for more?

I looked back at him, to see that one of the women – a stick-thin brunette in a low cut black dress – had placed her hand on his chiselled chest and was laughing hysterically at something he had said. Her blonde friend was also laughing along, and not wanting to be out-done, she had placed a hand on his upper arm.

As my jealousy surged through me to almost breaking point, I wanted nothing more than to rip both of their arms for daring to touch him. But at the same time I was hit by a huge wave of guilt and sorrow as I realised this was completely my own fault. I'd had my chance, but I had walked away from him. He'd been offering me so much more than he would with either of these women, yet I had turned him down.

As I watched one of the women lean in to whisper something into his ear, my anger surged once more. And worse still, I could feel my magic taking hold in me; the air around me thickening as I became aware of each individual particle. I knew had to get out of there before I did something to expose myself.

Leaving my drink, I spun quickly on my heal and headed to the exit. "Leaving so soon?" Pam smirked as I walked past her, but I ignored her comment. If I had bitten back, I was fairly sure I would have done something I regretted. But even walking away, I could feel that the magic was still surging around me, and I recognised that I needed to do something to expel some of the energy before I hurt someone or myself.

Seeing the wooded area behind the club, I quickly trotted in that direction, and once I was satisfied that no one could see me, I let off the energy within me by blasting at a tree. I hadn't quite known what would happen, but much to my surprise the tree was blown towards a neighbouring tree, crumpled shards of wood falling to the floor as the two smacked together with an almost deafening smash.

I did a quick mental scan to make sure that no one was too alarmed at the sudden noise, but when no one seemed to be too concerned, I shut my eyes, leaned back against a large oak tree and wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly feeling very cold.

"And what had that tree done to you?" a female voice snarked from not too far away.

"Go away, Pam." I said without opening my eyes. I wasn't in the mood for her shit, and as long as she was around I couldn't ask Claudine to come and get me.

"I suppose we should be grateful you managed to not cause a scene. It would have been a huge inconvenience to glamour that many humans."

"Yes, and I would hate to inconvenience you," I snarked back, opening my eyes and meeting her gaze.

"You're spunky this evening, maybe I should convince Eric to let me have you instead. I like my meals to have spirit."

"Go to hell."

"Already been there, and I didn't like it. I'm fine as I am, thanks."

This was obviously an argument I was not going to win. "What do you want, Pam?" I asked with resignation, the pain of seeing Eric with those two women coming back to me.

"I want to know what is with the display of theatrics out here. Do you normally blast trees?"

"No."

"So why the drama now?"

"Because …" I trailed off, hoping she would drop the line of questioning, but a quick glimpse at her told me she wouldn't. "Because I didn't like seeing those women flirt with Eric." My voice was no more than a whisper, but I knew she could hear me.

"And why is that?" she pressed.

I could feel myself becoming annoyed with her. "Because I was jealous, okay? Is that what you want to hear, Pam?" I hissed at her, before turning away and heading deeper into the trees while digging out my phone.

"Why were you jealous?" she asked having followed me.

I let out a groan of frustration and turned to her once more. "Because I thought that if I came here I could apologise to him!" I yelled at her. "Because I wanted that to me be he was talking to! Because I don't want to see him talking to other women!"

"Why?"

"Because he is my husband!" I felt a traitorous tear fall from my eye and I angrily wiped it away.

"Exactly," a deeper, baritone voice said from somewhere close behind me.

I turned quickly to see Eric stood there with his broad arms crossed against his chest, obviously having heard everything I had said. I simply stared at him, Pam completely forgotten as I met his eyes.

"You're my husband," I repeated quieter and more to myself than to him.

"Yes."

He stalked towards me, and I backed up against a tree; Eric's arms caging me in. No words were necessary as his lips forcefully met mine. My hands clawed at him to keep him close as our tongues duelled with each other's.

"I'm sorry," I whispered to him when his lips left mine to kiss down my neck.

"Don't be," he said between kisses.

"I am. And I don't hate you for the bond," I told him, trying to push my sincerity at him. As I did so, I felt Eric let go of the bond, and all his emotions hit me. I could feel that he was angry with me, but he was a little hurt as well and undeniably horny. "I want you," I moaned into his ear, earning a growl and probably a few splinters from the force he pushed me into the tree.

"You smell delicious," he groaned as his hands ran over any part of me they could reach and ended up underneath my dress to rip my thong away. My fingers clenched in his hair as he slid a long finger inside me, and I moaned audibly as he rubbed up against my inner walls.

"Eric!" I moaned as I pulled at the buttons of his shirt, only to have Eric rip it off in one fluid movement while my own hands went to the fly of his jeans to release his straining erection.

"I need to fuck you now," he hissed, sending waves of lust straight to my groin as he sucked at my ear lobe and kissed down my throat.

I heard his jeans drop to his ankles, and he placed a large hand underneath my bottom to lift me off the floor as he aligned himself with my entrance and forcefully pushed inside me. I howled with pleasure as I felt him fill me, and he quickly started to thrust his hips as he plunged deeply in and out of me. I had never felt more turned on in my life, and I clawed desperately at him as he pounded into me. My first orgasm hit me quickly, but Eric was unrelenting, and carried on in his furious pace until I was whimpering with pleasure and desperate for him to bite me.

"Fuck!" I yelled as his fangs finally sank into my neck, and sending us both over the edge. Eric pulled me away from the tree and held me in his arms as I shook from the aftershocks of the most powerful orgasm I'd ever had. He gently stroked my hair until I managed to find the strength to move my head and meet his eyes.

"You have no reason to be jealous, Sookie." There was a look of sincerity in his eyes, but what I felt through the bond was so much more intense. "I have fed only."

I let out a quiet sob and buried my head into his chest. "I'm sorry I walked away from you," I whispered. "I … I missed you this week. Which is crazy considering I don't know you, but I have."

"Maybe we need to spend some time getting to know each other," he said gently while combing my hair with his fingers. I couldn't have agreed more with him. "Will you come back to my house with me?" he asked me. I smiled as I felt a brief glimmer of uncertainty from him.

"I'd love to."

He gave me one more searing kiss before holding me tightly to him and flying up into the skies.

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**Thoughts? Comments? Is this a turning point?**

**Was Eric making her jealous deliberately?**

**Thanks for reading.**

**;)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Thanks again for the continued reviews, favourites and alerts. I love that people actually read this!**

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**Eric**

Pam shot me a look as Rasul led Sookie out of the building. "Don't," I snapped at her before she had the chance to say what was on her mind. "We'll talk about this later. Do not let on that she is not in my favour."

"Of course not," she said with a bow of her head.

I led Pam back into the main room of Fangtasia and downed another glass of human donor blood. It was much better than the synthetic shit the Japanese had invented, although the fake stuff certainly had a better shelf life, and from a business point of view, I could see the profitability of the stuff. It was why I had already bought into the franchise to bring it to the United States. I recognised a good investment opportunity when I saw one.

"Northman," Russell Edgington said as he crept up beside me. "Rumour has it your new wife is a telepath." It didn't surprise me that he knew, and it only increased my need to have the overgrown kitty that is John Quinn neutered, if not put to sleep.

"She is," there was little point denying it, but I had no intention of allowing any of the vampires to know she was part-Fae.

"I can see why you have bonded and had her pledged to you. And she smells quite delicious." I was annoyed that Russell had gotten close enough to breathe in her scent. She did smell sweeter than most humans, but I didn't want him guessing that she was a fairy. "Is she still here? I would very much like a taste."

I knew that he was goading me, but I was not about to let him thing that he would be getting his fangs anywhere near her.

"No, I have had one of my sheriffs drive her home. But I can assure you, you will not be tasting her. I do not share." I bared my fangs at him to let him know how serious I was.

"You never did," Peter Threadgill said in coming up behind us. I had known that vampire for over seven hundred years, and I did not like him. I glared at him for his reference of my past, but he made no further comment.

"I trust she is well guarded?" Edgington said, in a thinly veiled attempt to piss me of further.

"Of course, and more so than even she realises."

"Gentleman," Stan Davis said, coming up between us all in an attempt to calm the hostilities. "Let us not fight. We are all neighbours; we should be united."

He was right, but I don't think any one of us believed what he was saying. It was no coincidence that most takeovers came from neighbouring states, and being surrounded by these three, I wouldn't have trusted them to take out my laundry.

My guests stayed until four in the morning until they had to leave to make it back to their own states before dawn arrived. I had to admit that in some ways it was probably better that Sookie had left. Obviously, I gave no indication that she had argued with me, and quite simply it wouldn't have been expected from any of them. They did not know she couldn't be glamoured, and they certainly didn't know that she had as much spirit as she did. But that was exactly what attracted me to her.

Once all the vampires had left and the club was being cleaned up, Pam came to join me in my office and sat down in the chair across from my desk.

"You have blocked off the bond with her, I presume?"

"Yes."

"Don't go to her." Pam crossed her arms across her chest and gave me a challenging look.

"She must be kept safe," I argued.

"True, but she will be guarded. If you're going to go to her, wait until she is asleep. But you must let her come to you."

"You have been reading too much Dear Abby," I mused after a few moments.

She shrugged. "I am right. You have said yourself that she has had a lot to take in, and she has obviously reached her breaking point. But she will come around, and she needs to do so at her own pace."

I raised an eyebrow at my child. "It was my understanding that you did not approve of her."

"I don't, but I can tell you do." She shot me a look that said a lot. Pam would have been able to feel the complex emotions I felt around Sookie, but in truth, I didn't understand what it was between us.

"I do not understand this," I admitted in an unusual display of vulnerability.

"You feel for her."

"I do not wish to."

"Really?" she shot back with an eyebrow raise.

"It is not safe for me to become attached to her. For either of us."

"It is too late for that." There was no question in Pam's voice. "For both of you," she added.

I did not respond to my child. I had known for some time that I had felt things for Sookie that I had not felt in several centuries, and I had to admit that I was concerned by it. I had tried to suppress it and dismiss what I felt, but the more I tried not to think about the luscious blonde, the more she seemed to be on my mind. Sookie was part-Fae, but mostly human, and therefore vulnerable, breakable and ripe for the taking by other vampires who wanted her for her ability and looks.

"There is much to be done, Pam," I commanded as she climbed out of her seat. "I want this kingdom secure and I intend on selling off Sophie-Anne's ridiculous purchases. Call Cataliades and have him meet me here at first dark tomorrow. I will contact the wolf about the renovation of my country home."

Pam nodded and walked out of my office. I wanted the lawyer Cataliades to arrange for the sale of many of Sophie-Anne's more frivolous purchases, and I intended on investing in properties and businesses that would be much more profitable. Other than that, I planned on completing the renovation of my country home. It was a large secluded property on the outskirts of Shreveport that was perfect in the sense that it allowed for adequate security.

Alcide Herveaux' company had been renovating the property and installing light-tight rooms, but with the change in my status, I needed that work stepped up a gear and completed as soon as possible. I also intended on having Sookie stay with me, so I had him hire an interior designer to make the house more 'liveable' and kit out the formerly sparse kitchen with all the mod cons that she may require.

Over the next week I was kept very busy. I had spent two nights in New Orleans sorting out affairs in the city and had spent time in each of the areas of Louisiana to meet with the sheriffs and their vampires. From being a sheriff myself, I knew that more often than not the sheriffs did not pass everything on to their king or queen. I certainly hadn't. But then Sophie-Anne was never in touch with reality. She had lived in her own world and never suspected that any one of us would lie to her. I certainly did not plan on being that naïve.

The work on my property had been increased five-fold, and I also had many meetings with Cataliades and other investment managers and brokers that had been suggested to me by my lawyer. The half-demon also confirmed that the sale of Sookie's land was nearly completed, and he expected to have the papers for the two of us to sign early in the next week. I had been tempted to use that as an excuse to see her, but Pam again talked me out of it. I hadn't told Pam, but if I had not heard from her by the Sunday, I fully planned on going to see her.

As it was, I didn't have to be the one who made the move.

I'd been in my office with Pam going over some figures, when I suddenly felt her presence. It was unusual; either she had found a way to suppress the bond and only let go of it at that moment, or she had been teleported to Shreveport. I was guessing it was more likely to be the second option.

"What?" Pam asked, noticing my change in demeanour.

"Sookie. She is nearby. I think she may have been teleported here by a fairy." Pam's fangs ran down at the mention of fairy. I stood up from behind my desk to leave my office and meet with Sookie.

"Where are you going?" Pam asked.

"To see Sookie."

She rolled her eyes. "Eric, you are clueless at times." I growled at her, but she ignored me. "Going to 'meet with' Sookie is not going to work. You need to make her jealous."

I raised an eyebrow. "I do not see what that will achieve; jealousy is a pointless emotion."

"So you say, but it will make Sookie realise what she wants. Now get out there and go flirt with the vermin."

"Pam," I warned, not liking her tone.

"Eric, just trust me."

I did as she asked, standing at the bar, ordering a glass of whiskey that I was not going to drink, and not before too long, two women came up to me. I normally would have ignored them or glamoured them into leaving me alone, but this time I indulged them. But I wasn't concentrating on the females at all. I was closely monitoring Sookie's emotions, and I could feel that she was conflicted, yet nervous about coming into the club. I listened carefully to her exchange with Pam at the door, annoyed that my child had insisted on the cover charge, and it took all my willpower to not stare at her as she walked in.

I carried on absently talking to the human females, and I was hit by a wave of jealousy coming from Sookie as she noticed me. But it was more than just jealousy. Her emotions were conflicted; she was both jealous yet sorrowful, and when both of the women started touching me, I was hit by an almost incapacitating wave of anger from her. When the brunette woman leaned to in to tell me that she wasn't wearing any underwear, I saw Sookie place her drink down on the bar and storm out. I could smell the distinct aroma of Fae magic, and it was obvious that she was struggling to keep her new powers under wraps. And my flirting with other women had allowed that.

As soon as she was out of the club, I moved as quickly as I could to the exit where Pam was watching her leave.

"Let me," she said before I had the chance to say anything. "Follow at a distance."

"This is enough, Pam. I am going to her."

"No. Trust me." She gave me a pleading look, and I resolved that I would give her this one chance before going to my bonded and wife.

Sookie had disappeared into the treeline at the back of the club, and we heard a loud crash and the creaking of wood. We both shot in her direction, although Pam indicated for me to hover above. Pam challenged her on her reactions, but I could feel her sadness and defeat, and it aggrieved me that my actions had caused pain. My child was her usual snarky self, however she seemed to get a reaction out of Sookie who admitted that she was jealous.

She told Pam that she had wanted to see me to apologise and that she didn't like seeing me talk to other women. When she admitted that I was her husband, I felt a jolt of smug satisfaction from Pam, coupled with a great sadness from Sookie.

"Exactly," I said, landing softly behind her and indicating for Pam to go back to the club.

"You're my husband," she whispered to herself after turning to face me. I struggled to keep the grin off my face as she accepted that.

"Yes," I said, walking towards her and pinning her to a nearby tree. My lips met hers forcefully as she clawed at my back. When I started kissing down her neck she tried to apologise to me, and told me that she didn't resent the blood bond between us. I met her eyes as I released my control on the bond, letting her feel everything I felt.

Not before too long I had ripped her underwear away and I was buried inside her. Our pace was frantic and animalistic, and I was sure that I had probably hurt her. But from the pleasure I was feeling from her, I wasn't overly concerned about a few scratches when I could heal her afterwards. We both came at the same time, and I pulled out of her but kept her safely in my arms.

"Will you come back to my house with me?" I asked her after admitting that maybe we did need to spend some time getting to know each other. When she agreed, I shot up into the air, not caring that I'd left my shirt somewhere on the floor of the forest. She squealed with excitement as I flew with her quickly to my house in the country.

The journey was only a few miles, so took no more than five minutes, and I gently placed her on the lawn to the back of the house when we landed.

"Oh my god!" she laughed as she stepped away from me. "I can't believe you flew with your pants around your ankles!" her laugh was joyous and uninhibited and I couldn't help but smile along with her. I shrugged and bent down to pick my jeans up and fasten them. "What if someone saw you?" she laughed.

"Well if they did they got a great sight!" I said with a smug grin. "But really, who would believe anyone if they said they saw a naked man flying with a hot blonde in his arms and his pants around his ankles?"

"True, they'd probably be certifiable!"

"And anyway, I was going too fast to really be seen, and this place is out in the country, so no one should have noticed the flying vampire." I moved forward and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

"This is your home?" she asked, looking around for the first time.

I'd landed her just inside the gardens, which had recently been landscaped. I nodded my head, taking her hand and leading her towards the back of the house. I entered the code onto the keypad and led Sookie into the house.

"This place is gorgeous," she said when we walked into the kitchen. "And why does a vampire need such a large kitchen?"

"It helps with resale value. But anyway, I've just had it refitted and all appliances apparently work."

"Why?" she queried.

I sighed. "This is my main residence, and since becoming King, it will be the royal residence. I have other homes around the city as you know, and I will always keep them. But this is the main one." I paused briefly before turning my body towards her. "And I want you to be comfortable here."

"You want me to live with you?"

"I'd like you to," I admitted. "But that's up to you. As you said, we need to spend some time getting to know each other, and I want you to have everything you need while you are here. If there is anything missing, tell me and it will be arranged."

"You don't have to; you know that, don't you?"

"Sookie, I want to."

She gave me a querying look. "Is it because I'm your bonded and wife that you have to have me with you? That this way it's safer for me?"

"You're right in saying that you will be safer here, but it's not that I _have_ to have you living here." I trailed off, but she continued staring at me expectantly. "I like having you by my side."

"You do?"

"Yes. You told me that you missed me, but I missed you as well. And believe me when I said that I didn't intend to get close to you," I ran a frustrated hand through my hair. "But I have done."

She continued to silently regard me until she took a step forward and placed a warm hand on my chest over my unbeating heart. "I think we should give this a chance. We both have a lot to learn about each other, and we're going to have to work around the other and make concessions," she gave me a pointed look. "But I'd like to try."

I swept her tightly into my arms and buried my head into her hair. I struggled to admit it even to myself, but having her so close to me felt right. "I'll show you around later," I told her, before I picked her up and sped down to the underground floor, which was my daytime resting place. As soon as we were downstairs, I placed her gently on the bed and kicked off my boots and jeans so that I was completely naked. I had certainly made a good choice in going commando, although more often than not I did.

Sookie's eyes travelled over my body, an eyebrow raised when she eyed my groin. "Hard again already?"

"I have exceptional recovery time," I purred as I stalked towards her and pushed her back so that was lying flat on the bed. "And you are wearing too many clothes."

She didn't protest as I unzipped her dress at the side and she shimmied out of it to reveal a strapless bra only, her underwear having already been destroyed by me in amongst the trees. She arched her back to remove her bra, which she haphazardly threw over her shoulder.

"Delicious," I whispered as I kissed down her body. Her skin tasted and smelt even better than normal, and I felt like a dog in heat as I ran my hands over her and buried my face between her breasts. "You smell incredible," I moaned before taking a perky nipple into my mouth and sucking gently.

"Claudine … she gave me a body lotion to use. She said it would drive you crazy," it was certainly doing just that. I worked my way down her body until I was at her centre, her legs opening for me as I lapped at her clit. "Oh god … fuck!" She writhed around above me, her knees clamping shut around my head as I drew her orgasm from her.

"Okay?" I asked with a smug grin as I stood up. I could feel how satisfied Sookie was, and it pleased me to know I could do this to her.

"I think my bones may have turned to jelly." She had her eyes shut and he arms were spread wide on the bed. I scooped her up into my arms and carried her into the bathroom.

"Fancy a soak in the bath?" I asked her, and she lifted her head off my shoulder to meet my eyes.

"What about you?" she asked me as I sat her down gently on the edge of the Jacuzzi so I could test the temperature of the water.

"I am fine, Sookie. And anyway, we have all night." I felt a jolt of lust from her at that suggestion, which only made me smile more. I climbed into the huge tub and held out a hand for her to come and join me. It pleased me that she chose to sit sideways on my lap, an arm wrapped around my shoulders.

"You could probably fit eight in here," she commented about the tub.

"You're the only human that has been here. In fact, only Pam has been down here, but I don't tend to bathe with her."

She turned to face me, curiosity piping in through the bond. "You and Pam ... were you ever … you know, did you guys have sex?"

"We did at first, probably for a decade or so. But Pam's preference is for women, and the maker/child relationship usually doesn't last." I hoped that she wasn't going to push that particular point.

"Ten years? That's a long time."

"Ten years is nothing for a vampire," I explained. I ran my hand down her back and tried to reassure her as I could feel her insecurity. "Time is viewed in a very different way when you have an infinite amount of it. Pam has always been more of a friend than lover, but vampires are very sexual creatures. We haven't had sex with each other for ever thirty years, and that was the result of Pam losing a bet."

"Can I ask you a question?" she queried, a slight nervousness coming from her.

"Sure." I really did want to be honest with her.

"What of your own maker? Do they have control over you?"

"My maker – a Roman vampire by the name of Appius Livius Ocella – learned the lesson of turning a human when they were too close to death. How is your Russian history?"

"It sucks!" she laughed before sobering up. "You were there?"

"Not at the time my maker made another child. But long story short, Alexei Nicolaevich was the young son of the Russian Emperor. His family were abducted following the Russian Revolution in 1917. Alexei was just thirteen and his family were all shot dead. But Alexei still had a glimmer of life left in him, and my maker – who liked to collect such artefacts – decided to turn him."

"That's horrible! He was just a child!"

"True. Humans can be as brutal as any vampire…" I trailed off, both of us silent for a few moments. "In the end Alexei somehow managed to kill Appius. It shouldn't have happened since Appius was over eighteen hundred years older than him, but Alexei was unstable and met the sun the next morning."

"Do you miss your maker?" she asked tenderly.

I smiled a rueful smile. "No. My maker was cruel and brutal with me when he first turned me. He used and abused me, passed me around to other vampires to exploit …" I saw and felt a jolt of horror come from Sookie, and I placed my hand on her cheek. "It made me the vampire I am today. I am stronger because of it. You don't need to feel sorry for me; it is many centuries in the past."

"I know but … God! … I want to stake him for doing that to you."

I was startled by the ferocity of Sookie's emotions, and I could tell she really did want to kill him for hurting me in that way. I pulled her closer to me and gently kissed her lips. It was Sookie that pulled at me in an attempt to deepen our kiss, her tongue running along the length of my left fang and then piercing her tongue on the tip.

"Sookie," I groaned as I hardened beneath her. She pulled away and met my eyes.

"How long have you been free from him?" she asked, resuming our previous conversation, but running her fingertips over my chest and throat.

"Just over fifty years. But I travelled with him for many centuries, and I do owe him a lot."

"He sounds like a bastard to me," she commented.

"He was. But it is irrelevant." I ran my hands down her side and turned her so that she was straddling my lap. "But I want to know more about you."

She rolled her eyes. "My life is nowhere near as interesting as yours, and I'm lacking in about nine-hundred and seventy years!"

"I still want to know." And I did, genuinely.

"You mean you don't know all about me already?" she asked with a knowing smile.

"I want to hear it from you. My research can't bring up every detail." I gave her a wink and she rolled her eyes.

"Okay … I was born and bred in Bon Temps; I have an older yet immature brother Jason. My parents died when I was just a kid and Jason and I were raised by my Gran. She was a formidable woman, taking over my grandfather's business when he died and passing it on to me. I learned a lot from her."

"What happened to your parents?"

"I'd always thought that they died in a freak storm on a bridge over a river, but Claudine told me recently that they were killed by Water Fae."

I didn't know what to say to that. "I'm sorry." I knew more about the Fae houses than I cared to think about.

"It's okay; it was a long time ago. I guess learning how they were killed doesn't change anything."

I gave her a gentle kiss before pulling back. "What do you do in your spare time?"

"You mean before a certain blond vampire started to fill so much of it?" I simply smiled at her. "To be honest, I've always been very hard-working, particularly since splitting from Alcide. Otherwise I spend time with my friends, shopping, or going out for meals."

"You could maybe bond with Pam over shopping. She enjoys spending my money far too much."

She smiled to herself. "You know, I can't quite make out your relationship with her. Sometimes you seem like her master or boss, I suppose, other times you seem fatherly, but otherwise you seem to have more of a brother/sister relationship."

She was probably right. "I give Pam a lot of leeway, probably too much at times. But we respect each other, and I don't normally need to impose my authority over her. How close to your brother are you?"

"Not very. I don't see him that often and we have very different interests." She paused and I could feel that she was conflicted. "I'd like for you to meet him. If we're going to be spending more time together, and I'm going to be here part of the time, I'd like for you to know him."

I was surprised at her request, but I wasn't adverse to meeting her brother, and I was interested to know if he could be glamoured.

"Okay. Whenever you want to arrange that, I'll meet with him. It may be best to meet at your farmhouse. I'll be your _boyfriend_," I said with a smirk.

"I guess you are a little old for that," she laughed. "And … um … what about Christmas. Jason and I usually spend the day together with Amelia and Tray."

"I am not a Christian, Sookie."

She shrugged. "I don't think many of the people that celebrate Christmas are. It's more of a holiday than a religious festival."

"Well, I'd like to spend the night with you," I told her.

She smiled. "Good. I've already bought you a present. And Pam."

I was surprised once more. "You did not have to do that."

"I wanted to. And it doesn't mean that I want anything in return."

"Lover, I can assure you, you will get a lot in return."

I kissed her deeply and she started squirming on my lap as my hand found its way to her folds and a long finger slipped inside her. It wasn't too long before I had whisked us both out of the tub, dried us both off and was inside her on my large bed.

.

Over the days and weeks that followed, Sookie and I settled into an easy routine. She would generally spend Friday night through to Tuesday night at my house, working from home using my wireless internet on the Monday and Tuesday. We'd our spend time at Fangtasia or going out together. We even double dated once with Amelia and Tray, although we weren't too keen to repeat that experience. I made sure that I allowed Sookie as much freedom as she desired, but for the most part she seemed to like having me around, and on the nights that she didn't spend at mine I often dropped by her house if I wasn't too busy.

Sookie and I had met with her brother the week after her suggestion. As I had expected, he was very simple and easily accepting of me. He did smell better than most humans, although not as good as his sister and he certainly lacked her essential spark. I was also able to easily glamour him at the end of the night and enhanced his memory of me so that he thought I did eat and drink with the both of them.

That night we had also taken the time to meet with Sam Merlotte. I had explained to Sookie that Merlotte was a shifter, something that she found decidedly 'cool'. Though she was creeped out when she realised that the dog she'd sometimes let into her home that she thought was a stray, was actually her friend. Needless to say, she had a few choice words to say to him, and I could hardly keep the grin off my face as she put him firmly in his place.

Pam and Sookie also seemed to get along better over the months that followed, and my bonded soon became her 'favourite breather', somewhat of a compliment where my child was concerned. I hadn't told her that Sookie had bought her a gift for Christmas, and Pam had been quite touched that Sookie would think to get her something. Christmas was not something Pam and I tended to celebrate, so having Sookie with us both brought about some much needed change.

Pam had, of course, been ribbing me continually over my apparent domesticity with Sookie. She had photo-shopped pictures of me as a housewife or a chambermaid, and the insults she landed were daily. However, I had to admit, that it didn't bother me. I gave as good as I got from her, and Sookie too started bantering with Pam, something that only improved her in Pam's eyes.

"You're happy," Pam accused as she sank down into the chair opposite my desk one March Thursday. I'd been sat thinking about Sookie, and I hadn't thought to veil my emotions from Pam.

"I am," I admitted.

"You're in love with her."

I looked up from the papers in my hand, my expression darkening and a growl rising in my throat.

"I am not!" I snapped at her in a tone that meant no nonsense.

But Pam was not going to back down that easily. "You may not be able to admit it to yourself, Eric, but I have felt your emotions when she is around. And I am fairly certain that she loves you as well. But then you can feel that from her."

"Pam, I have warned you."

"So you have," she snarked. "But you need to accept that you love her."

I narrowed my eyes. "I will not love again," I hissed.

Pam's features softened, sympathy in her eyes. "Be honest with yourself, Eric. Accept that you feel for her. Once you can admit it yourself, maybe you can forget."

She had the good sense to leave my office before I had the chance to answer her. Pam was right in saying that I did feel very strongly for Sookie, something that had grown considerably over the months that we'd been together. But neither one of us had dared to address the growing elephant in the room and talk about our feelings for each other. And Pam was right in saying that I could feel Sookie's own fondness for me, no doubt as she could feel mine. Maybe it was something that didn't need to be said out loud.

I decided that I'd had enough for one night, shut up my office and flew out of Fangtasia. Sookie was spending the evening with her friends Amelia and Tara, so I flew to a lake around thirty miles north of the city. It was a place I often frequented when I had matters on my mind, and it was suitably deserted that no one noticed when I threw a young tree into the lake.

I hadn't planned on falling in love with Sookie, but Pam was right in her accusation. I somehow cared for her right from meeting her, and I had always felt strangely protective over her. She had saved her own life by her admission of her telepathy, but it was more than that that stopped me from killing her the first night in my club. She had captivated me and intrigued me, and over time I had learned to love her. And now I was in over my head without any hope of a life raft.

Pam was right; I did need to move on and forget the past. And I needed to tell Sookie that I loved her. I made arrangements for a beautiful bunch of flowers to be delivered to Sookie's work the next afternoon, with a negligée of the finest red silk for her to wear when she arrived at my home that evening. And she didn't disappoint when I woke that evening to find her waiting for me.

"It's beautiful. Thank you." She climbed up the bed and straddled across me, my morning wood coming in contact with the silk panties she had on underneath. "And I loved the flowers," she whispered into my ear, as she bit gently on my ear lobe. I ground myself against her hot centre, but resisted the temptation to bury myself inside her. I wanted to admit what I felt for her, but I didn't want her to think I was saying it in the throes of a hot make out session.

"You are beautiful," I told her, placing my hand to the side of her face and stroking my thumb across her cheek.

"Why are you nervous?" she asked, picking up on my unusual mood.

"Because I want to say something to you." I paused briefly, but not too long as I knew Sookie would start to panic. "I want to say, Sookie, that these past few months with you have been incredible. I will admit that when I first knew you I envisioned using you as a telepath, but it is not the case. I have loved every minute with you … and I love you, Sookie."

She gasped and placed a hand to her mouth. I could see the tears in her eyes and I was hit with a surge of what felt like love from her. But then I didn't want to assume. I wiped away the few tears that fell and licked off my thumb.

"I can't believe you said it first!" she said with a warm smile. "I owe Pam one hundred bucks!"

"I'm sorry … what?" I asked, a little annoyed.

She just gave me a warm smile and a hard kiss. "I have wanted to tell you for weeks how much I love you, and I'll admit I confided in Pam as I didn't know how you would take it. She told me to wait for you to say it first … but I wasn't sure if you would. But thank you, and I do love you, Eric. So fucking much!"

I may have only just bought her the negligée, but I ripped it from her body along with the thong she was wearing and set about devouring her body. Within minutes she was soaking wet and writhing beneath me as I kissed, licked and nibbled at her body. She was begging me to bite her, to make love to her, but I took my time and enjoyed the exquisite torture that came from delaying the gratification of coming inside her.

She orgasmed twice before I finally sheathed myself inside her, and I felt her instantly pulse around me once more when I was fully inside. The sex was slow but intense, our hands grasping at each other as we kept our eye contact and our bodies moved in perfect synchronicity. We made it last, and even after I had climaxed inside her, we continued for hours. We mutually shared our blood to increase the strength of our bond and we fed from each other's love, pleasure and contentment.

But I should have known that everything was a little too perfect.

After Sookie's and my declaration of our love, she started spending more time with me, and less alone at her farmhouse in Bon Temps. The Kingdom was strengthening all the time, and my investment in synthetic blood was looking like it was going to be hugely profitable as the vampires were planning on making themselves known in the Fall, and I had the franchise to distribute amongst the Southern states.

But it wasn't one of my jealous neighbours that upset the status quo.

It was a Sunday evening, and I woke to find Sookie safely in my arms where she belonged. She rolled over to face me and placed a soft kiss on my nose. But I could feel that something was off. It was nothing to do with Sookie, and something I had not felt for many centuries. As I searched myself for the answer, Sookie tried to attract my attention, eventually having to wriggle away from me before she could pull me from my thoughts.

"Eric? What is it? You're so deep in thought … you're conflicted, nervous maybe. Please tell me?"

I could see and feel her panic, and I wished that I could ease her pain, but it wasn't going to be easy. I sat up in the bed and pulled her to my side. "Sookie, I … No. I need to start from the beginning."

"Okay…" her heart rate had increased, and as much as I tried to, I was unable to send her any comfort.

"When I was a young vampire, probably only two hundred and fifty years or so, I got into a fight with another, older vampire over a human in what is now Sweden. We ended up fighting, and despite his age, I managed to kill him. But staking another vampire for as trivial a reason as a human meant that I was to be punished. Some had argued that I should have been staked myself, but Appius fought for me, and it was decided that my punishment was that I had to make a new vampire."

Sookie gasped with this knowledge. I had not told her before that I'd made a child before Pam, and in all honesty I wouldn't have told her unless she had specifically asked.

I continued. "I was told that I had to turn a human by the end of the night, and I was taken away by my Maker to a nearby village and told to choose a human. I was torn – did I choose someone who had no life to give away, or did I turn a woman who I would want as a bed mate." I met Sookie's eyes before continuing, her hands tightly in mine. "I choose the second option." I kissed my bonded once more.

"Åsa captivated me, and she smelled better than any human I had ever encountered." I ran a finger along Sookie's jawline. "Until recently, anyway."

"Was she Fae?" she asked in a whisper.

"Yes. Åsa was one-quarter Fire Fairy. But in those days people knew of their ancestries, and she knew instantly that I was a vampire. But when Appius caught her, he was too strong for her and she could not escape. I didn't want to kill her. At the time I still tried to cling onto my humanity, and I did not want to turn a human. But then that is why it was such an effective punishment. In the end, Appius compelled me to turn her, making sure that I didn't drain her dry, and having me feed her my own blood."

"I didn't know you had another child," Sookie commented gently.

"I don't speak of her," I admitted.

She swallowed audibly. "Then why have you mentioned her tonight?"

"Because for the first time in three-hundred and fifty years I have felt her presence, and she is here in the city."

* * *

**So … they have admitted that they love each other, they are living happily in domesticity …**

**What now? What of Åsa?**

**I'd love to know your thoughts. **


	15. Chapter 15

**Thanks for the reviews and comments – it's clear that a lot of you don't trust Åsa for turning up now. But anyway, here's Sookie's point of view.**

* * *

**Sookie**

I didn't know what to say or do at Eric's confession. He seemed nervous, anxious almost, at her being here. And he was certainly confused as to what she wanted. But he was also concerned about my reaction to her.

However, my question was: why hadn't he seen her for three-hundred and fifty years? That was more years than I could truly comprehend, and did that mean that they had been together for four hundred years before that?

"Why is she here?" I asked gently.

He sighed and pulled me onto his lap so that I was sitting facing him and straddling his muscled legs. "I do not know. Perhaps she has heard that I am now King of Louisiana."

"Will she want to work with you? Will she be a lieutenant or sheriff?"

"I wouldn't have thought so. I haven't seen her, but I know that she has been the lieutenant to the Queen of Sweden for around a century. There is no reason for her to want to be in my retinue."

That didn't make me feel any easier. I shut my eyes and leaned forward to rest my head on his shoulder. I had just found him; I had fallen hopelessly in love with him. And now this child of his was coming back and I knew there was much more to it than her just being his child. If she was just a child to him, he would have told me about her. But he hadn't. It wasn't that he had lied, as I had never asked him if he had made other vampires, but he certainly hadn't offered up the information.

He gently stroked my hair and kissed my head, waiting for me to meet his eyes before speaking again. "Sookie, it will be okay. This doesn't change anything."

I wish I believed him.

"I mean it," he argued, sensing my doubt.

"I know you do," I said, placing a hand on his cheek. "But that isn't just up to you."

"It can be," he stated almost stroppily. "She is my child; if I order her away she will have to do so."

"I'm not going to ask you to do that. She is of your blood, and she must be here for a reason." I kissed his lips gently, but Eric deepened the kiss, pulling at my hair and holding me close to him. I kissed him with fervour, worried that once we were outside our little bubble things would be forever altered. "I love you," I whispered as he pulled away and we rested our foreheads together.

"I love you more."

I took a deep breath and found some courage from somewhere to ask the question I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer of. "Please … tell me what it was between you two. Why haven't you seen her for such a long time?"

Eric sighed again. "I will tell you; I will be honest with you. But I fear you will not like what I have to say."

"I kind of figured that already," I said with half a smile on my face.

"But it doesn't change anything between us, Sookie. I love you. And you're stuck with me now; we're bonded and wed by the knife. I won't let it be broken. You are mine as I am yours." He placed his palm on my cheek, and I nuzzled into his hand. "Come with me."

He lifted me off his lap and carried me up the stairs to the cosy den. Other than the bedroom, this was my favourite room in the house. It had comfortable soft furnishings, dark wood bookcases and a huge open fire dominating the room. Although it probably wasn't cold enough to warrant a fire, we were both naked and I was a little chilled. Eric built the fire expertly, before placing the guard in front and grabbing some cushions so that I'd be comfortable on the soft rug that was laid in front of the hearth.

I was being nicely warmed by the fire, and Eric's cool fingers sent shivers of contrast through my body as he gently caressed my skin. I knew that he was trying to reassure me, and I wanted to let him, but I was apprehensive of what he was going to say. He placed a soft kiss of my lips, his hands palming my breasts briefly before he sat up; the light from the fire creating a warm glow on his pale skin.

"I will start from the beginning," he informed me, his hand absently stroking my belly. "I told you that Appius had to command me to turn Åsa, and it wasn't easy. Being part-Fae, she was stronger than most humans would be, and she had the ability to control fire. As vampires are highly flammable, she therefore was a danger to us. It meant that I had to be much rougher with her than I intended, but I turned her nonetheless.

"She instantly hated what I had done to her. Blaming both me and my Maker for turning her. But over the years, where my relationship with her got better, she absolutely loathed Appius. In fact, as he didn't have the control over her as he did with me, she tried to kill him and nearly succeeded once. Of course, after that I was forced to command her not to harm him. I have to admit that I didn't want to, but I had no choice."

"Was your relationship with her sexual from the start?" I asked him.

"Not initially," he said, moving to lie down next to me. "She was wild when she was first turned, and I had to take a firm hand with her. I think it may be a Fae trait," he said with a smile. "She was strong and wilful, and didn't like that I had power over her. She steadfastly refused to have sex with me, and as I have told you, I would never force a woman and it was no exception with her. But after a few years she grew into her new lifestyle and she gave in to me."

"She lasted longer than I did," I said, trying to make light of the situation.

"Maybe, lover, but in essence I did kill her. It took her a long time to get over the fact that I had murdered her, and ended her human life."

"I can understand that."

He sighed. "You may not like to hear this, but there are many similarities between you and Åsa. You are both beautiful, strong-willed and independent women. You both fight for what is yours and have a strong sense of loyalty once it is earned. I have not known enough Fae women to know if it is a trait of your kin, but you are both so strong."

"I don't feel strong right now," I muttered. Eric pulled me onto his lap and stroked my hair.

"I know, Sookie. I know this is hard, but this will be okay."

"I hope so," I said, nuzzling my head into his chest. "Please carry on."

"As I said, Åsa hated Appius as much as I did, and that was what we first bonded over. In time, she grew to love being a vampire, and our physical relationship deepened. It is normal that vampires have a sexual relationship with their maker; I did with Appius, as he did with his before that, and you know that Pam and I did at first. What is not usual was that neither Åsa or I ended it." I gulped down a lump in my throat at that piece of information, but Eric continued. "We spent more and more time away from Appius, but we were always together. That is not to say that neither of us had sex with humans when we fed, as we both did, but we remained together."

"You were together for four hundred years." It was a statement rather than a question.

"Yes."

"Did you love her?"

A sad smile passed over his lips. "Yes, I did."

"She was more than just a child to you … she was your mate."

"I wouldn't say she was my mate. That implies that there could be no other." He kissed my head to prove his point.

"But at the time … did you feel she was?"

I could feel that he didn't want to answer the question, but his reluctance told me the answer to my question. "Yes," he eventually whispered. I tried to swallow down the lump that was forming in my throat.

"What happened?"

He sighed unnecessarily, his hand running through his long hair. "Looking back now, I suppose over the last decade or two she started to pull away from me. She would go off by herself for months at a time and not tell me where she was. Of course, I would have been able to find her if I desired, but I gave her the freedom.

"But on one of her trips I felt a difference in her. We had been in the north of France, and she had been disappearing every night at first dark. In the end, I decided to follow her. I found that she had been seeing a human male. She had been having sex with him, and had told him what she was, something he apparently accepted. When I arrived and tried to glamour him, Åsa protected him, standing up to me as much as she could, and claiming that she wanted to turn him.

"I grew hugely jealous. I didn't want to share her with another vampire, and if she turned him, she would have to dedicate her time to him as his maker. I ordered her away from him, glamouring him anyway, but she fought with me over everything, refusing to sleep with me and making me have to compel her to do anything. But I didn't want to be like that with her. I didn't want to be like Appius had been with me."

"You let her go?" I asked quietly, drawing Eric from his mind. He'd been staring into the fire, but he turned to face me at my question.

"Yes, I did. I gave her an ultimatum; either she stayed with me and left this human, or she left me and turned him. She pleaded with me, saying that she wanted us both, but my mind was made up and I did not want to share her. In the end, she chose to turn him, and Mathieu became her child. I never saw her again after the night she left to be with him." His eyes were intense and almost glowing. "I am a possessive vampire, Sookie, you know that. And this shows that I always have been. I will not share what is mine."

"I don't want to share either," I told him in absolute truth.

He gave a rueful smile. "I can't help but worry that maybe in a few decades or even a few centuries, you may change your mind. I cannot give you children; but a Fae male could."

"I have told you before; I would not want any child of mine to have the same curse that I suffer. And I've always felt that I'm too independent and maybe too selfish to really want children. I accepted a long time ago that I would never have a family, and I even struggled to find a partner who I could not hear. But you're perfect for me." I smiled warmly at him and he started kissing down my neck, his length hardening as he pinned me to the floor.

"I won't let you go, Sookie. I made that mistake with Åsa, and you will suffer the consequences of that."

"I'm not too sure I'd call this suffering," I said with a moan, Eric's touch alighting every nerve inside of me. He tested my readiness for him, running his finger through my wet folds, before filling me instantly. The sex was possessive and dominant from him, his hands holding me close to him as he did things to my body that sent my control spiralling away from me.

Eric was rampant; he pounded in to me, pulling me up into his arms so that I was sat in his lap as he thrusted. I was losing all coherent thought, and I clawed at his back, my fingernails drawing blood as my first orgasm swept through me. He kept up his unyielding pace and I could feel his bloodlust as if it was my own, causing me to bite hard at his neck and greedily take in what blood my blunt teeth would allow.

Eric, in turn, howled as I bit him, and sank his own teeth into my throat, and probably a little harder than normal. But I didn't care. We were both trembling with pleasure, and I collapsed into his arms feeling completely spent.

"I am sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you," he whispered into my hair, before licking at the wounds on my neck. He didn't need to heal them, as the blood I had taken from him would do the job.

"You didn't," I assured him. "I feel thoroughly fucked," I said with a smile. His possessiveness of me made me feel much better about Åsa turning up, but I was still concerned about him seeing her again, and also what her reaction would be to me. It was her that had left him, and I couldn't help but worry that he may still have some residual feelings for her.

"Come," he said, standing up with me in his arms and placing me on the floor. "Let us get changed and go to Fangtasia."

"No shower?" I asked. I held onto him to support me as my knees were feeling a little wobbly. It was somewhat of a tradition for us, that even if we had sex when we woke, we'd shower together and have more, fantastic sex.

"No. I wish to have your scent on me."

In some ways, I liked that he wanted that. But I also realised that he was doing it for Åsa's benefit. Vampires had a much stronger sense of smell that us humans, and he was deliberately goading her by making sure he smelt of me. But I didn't make any comment, and simply cleaned myself up and got changed. It was quite a struggle to choose what to wear – I wasn't sure there was a protocol for meeting your vampire lover's ex-girlfriend who he had been with for four hundred years, but not seen in a further three hundred and fifty.

I eventually chose a white sundress that showed off the beginnings of my tan. When I walked out into the bedroom, Eric's fangs slipped down when he saw me.

"Lover, you look delicious in that dress. Some may say 'vampire-bait'," he added with a fangy smile.

"Well, you're the only vampire I want to catch," I told him. "And I already have you." I hoped that would still be the case.

Eric led me out to the car before we had chance to get hot and heavy again with each other, and we entered in through the back door of the club. Security had been increased tenfold since the would-be murders came in through the back door of the club and he'd become king. There were many cameras recording every inch of the club, as well as vampire and were guards and several spells, which could be invoked with the right words.

Pam was already waiting for us when we arrived, and Eric filled her in. I could see that she was not happy with the turn of events, and looked over at me. I'd certainly become closer to Pam over the months, and I tried to give as good as I got from her. The look on her face was an odd one, and Eric said something to her in what sounded like Swedish. She replied in the same language and came over to me.

"Fancy a drink?"

"Sure."

Eric was sat behind his desk, and I appreciated that he had a lot of work to be done, so I joined Pam in the bar. A waitress brought over a gin and tonic for me, which I took a sip off before looking up at Pam.

She still had an odd look on her face, and she looked almost concerned for me. "Are you … okay?" she asked.

I had to admit that I was surprised by her question as she wasn't normally one for emotions. "I don't know what to think. Eric explained what happened between them to me this evening, but I guess I don't know what she wants."

"That is the question," she said sternly. "It took Eric a long time before he told me about her, and it is the reason he struggled with his feelings for you. She did a real number on him."

That didn't make me feel any better. "I know that he loves me. It's just … she's an unknown quantity. Why has she decided to turn up now?"

"I don't know. Maybe we should kick her ass!"

I smiled at Pam. "She's your sister. Your older one, at that."

"I prefer to think of myself as an only child," she said smugly.

Pam and I sat chatting as I nursed my drink. I wasn't really in the mood for drinking, and I wanted to keep my wits about me even though I could have done with the calming effect of alcohol. We chatted about all things that weren't Eric and Åsa, but after about twenty minutes, Pam shuddered and gave me a pointed look.

"Eric has summoned me. I can only assume that she is here. Come, we need to go to Eric's office."

I followed her wordlessly and walked into Eric's office. His emotions were hard to read, and he pulled me into his arms as soon as I walked in. "It will be okay," he whispered, but I could feel the doubt at his own words. Pam gently took my arm and we went to sit on the large black sofa, which had many memories of Eric and I.

Just over one tense minute later, there was a knock at the door. Eric called for the vampire to come in. It was Thalia that entered.

"There is a vampire by the name of Åsa Nordlund here to see you. She says she is your child." Thalia raised an eyebrow and waited for a response from Eric.

"Show her in," Eric ordered, not answering Thalia's question.

It seemed an eternity before the door opened again, but it did, and in walked my worst nightmare. She was stunningly beautiful; confident, tall and slim but still shapely, with long dark brown wavy hair and large eyes, which seemed to be a jade colour. Her gaze was firmly fixed on Eric, and he stood up from his desk to greet her. Pam pulled me up as well, and stood close to me in a display of solidarity; something I was very grateful to her for.

"Master," she eventually said in a smooth yet accented voice. She nodded her head in respect to him, lowering her eyes to the floor and waiting for his signal.

"Åsa, my child," was his response, and she resumed her confident position once more.

She was the Angelina Jolie of vampires. I couldn't say that I'd met too many vampires, although the ones I had, most of them were strangely appealing. But she was a goddamn supermodel. And not in the Claudine kind of way, either. My cousin was instantly likeable, warm and friendly, whereas Åsa knew how appealing she was and used it to her advantage. There was no emotion on her face at all, but from what I felt from Eric, I was sure that she was sending him something. And the worst thing was that if she was Angelina Jolie; that seemed to make me Jennifer Aniston. An analogy that didn't work well in my favour.

Eric moved from behind his desk and walked closer to where Pam and I were. The vampiress at the door finally moved her gaze to the two of us as she appraised us both.

"I would like you to meet my younger child, Pamela, and my wife and bonded, Sookie."

I was sure that I saw a flash of anger in her eyes, and I had to admit that at that moment I really wished I had the ability to read vampires, although she probably thought in Swedish so I wouldn't understand her anyway.

"You have married a human?" she asked Eric disdainfully. Her eyes not leaving me.

"Yes," was his stern reply.

The air in the room was tense, and it took a lot of energy to (a) not feel completely depressed that Eric's ex of four hundred years was completely stunning, and to (b) keep my magic under control. But the one thing I did know was that Eric and Åsa obviously needed to talk, and they weren't going to be able to do that while I was around.

I sent a jolt of need in Eric's direction, and he turned to face me. "Sookie?" he queried.

I did everything I could to keep my voice light and airy, and to prevent Eric from knowing quite how bad I felt in meeting her. "I was thinking that maybe I should go. I'm sure y'all have vampire business to talk about. Could I borrow your car to get home?" I knew Eric didn't need it, and since mine was it his house, I needed the wheels.

Eric gave me an appraising look, and I plastered my 'crazy Sookie' smile on my face, more for Åsa's benefit that Eric's. But I was also keeping my mood upbeat and not allowing my negativity to come to the surface. He took a few large steps closer to me and pulled me into his arms, his head buried into my hair.

"Are you sure?" he asked gently.

"Yes. You two need to talk."

"Come with me." He took my hand and led me out of his office. I was highly aware that Åsa's eyes were on me as I walked out, and I tried to keep my spirits up as Eric led me to the Corvette. "Are you okay?" I could feel that he was assessing the bond, and I tried to suppress the negativity that was growing inside me.

"I'm fine, Eric," I said a little to cheerfully. "But I know you two need to talk." I was tempted to plead with him and beg him not to leave me, but I wanted to trust him. I wanted to believe that he wouldn't have anything to do with her.

He fished his keys out of his pocket and handed them to me. "Are you going to my house, or back to Bon Temps?"

"I'm going to my farmhouse." Bon Temps was still home to me, especially when Eric was not around. Plus, if things didn't go well, I didn't want to be in his home.

"Drive carefully," he said, pulling me into a heated kiss. I would have enjoyed it if it hadn't felt so much like a goodbye to me. "This will be okay," he repeated. I could feel that he truly believed it would be, and I tried to take some comfort from his confidence. When I didn't answer him, he kissed me once more and let me go to climb into the driver's seat.

I took a calming deep breath before starting the car and carefully pulling out of the parking lot. My eyes met Eric's in the rear-view mirror, and I muttered a 'goodbye' to myself before heading in the direction of Bon Temps.

**Eric**

Pam gave me a disapproving look as I walked back into my office after watching Sookie drive back to her farmhouse. I could feel a battle inside her, but she was keeping positive and seemed to be handling this okay.

"Pam, please keep an eye on the club. Åsa and I need to talk." She raised a characteristic eyebrow, but didn't argue with me. "Come with me," I said to my elder child, before leading her to the back of the club and taking to the skies.

Flying was an ability she had inherited from me, and I flew north until I had reached the lake where I had visited before and realised that I did love Sookie. I hoped that being here would give me some perspective. I landed on the banks of the lake and waited for Åsa to join me.

"You smell of her," she said as soon as she landed and speaking in her native Swedish. I didn't answer her. "Does she know that she is Fae?"

It didn't surprise me that Åsa was able to tell that Sookie was of her kin. "Yes. But you will not tell anyone else." I stopped short of making it a command, but she knew exactly how serious I was.

"Of course."

"Why are you here, Åsa?" I asked after a few moments had passed. "I haven't heard from you in four hundred years, yet you chose to turn up now."

She turned from me and went to sit on the stump of a large tree that had been chopped down. I remained standing where I was. "I was told by my Queen that you had killed Sophie-Anne over a human. I see things haven't changed." Her tone was biting in her reference to why I turned her in the first place. I knew that at three-quarters of a millennium, she was more than happy as a vampire, but it seemed she was here to focus on the negative. "And more to that, I understand she is a telepath."

"Fucking tiger," I hissed to myself. "Where did you hear that?"

"I had an interesting call from Russell Edgington. He likes to keep me informed on your whereabouts."

I growled at the mention of Russell's name. Both Edgington and Peter Threadgill had known me when Åsa and I had been together, and both had an interest in her. I had obviously not let either one of them close enough to her, but that didn't stop them from trying.

"Calm down," she said in a softer tone. "You know that I would never betray you. I'm sure Russell only tells me because he thinks I will tell you." She paused briefly before standing up once more to face me. With her height and the heels she was wearing, she was only a few inches shorter than me. "I did not know you had bonded with her. Or pledged to her, for that matter."

So she was here because of Sookie. I turned away from Åsa and monitored the bond, but was distressed to feel that Sookie seemed to be in great pain. And not of the physical kind. At this distance, I could not feel her very well, and I could also tell that she was trying to close her bond off to me so I wouldn't feel her. It was obvious that Sookie had been suppressing her hurt earlier on.

I quickly pulled out my phone and called Pam. "I need you to go to Sookie. She was driving towards Bon Temps. Leave Thalia in charge."

"_I'd hate to say I told you so…"_ she began before wisely stopping.

"Go!" I snapped at her, before hanging up on her. I was severely tempted to fly to her, but if I was going to give her reassurance, I needed to get this sorted with Åsa.

"You love her," she commented once I had thrust my phone back in my pocket.

"Yes." I met her green eyes and saw a distinct sadness in them.

"I never meant to hurt you, Eric. But I never thought for one minute that you would stand by your ultimatum. I wanted you both."

"I know you did, but I wasn't going to share. How is Mathieu?" I asked a little stiffly and changing the subject.

"He is good. He's a sheriff in Sweden." I knew that already. "I made another child fifty years ago. He is called Johan; he reminds me a lot of you, certainly looks wise. He is here with me in Louisiana."

"Bring him by my office, I will need to register both of your stay within my Kingdom." She nodded her assent.

"I'm sorry," she said after a few minutes of silence between us and bringing the conversation back to our past. I could feel it from her as well. "I loved you. I suppose I still do."

"That doesn't change anything."

"I know. But I know that I hurt you. I knew at the time, and your child certainly made sure I knew when you left your office." I could really stake Pam at times. "She says you are happy with your human."

"She is called Sookie," I snapped, before taking control of myself. I was concerned about Sookie, and being so close to Åsa wasn't helping. "As you said, I love her." I considered calling Pam to check on how Sookie was, but I wasn't sure if it was a good idea.

"Then you need to protect her," she said resolutely. I gave her a querying look. "I may have heard the news from first Edgington, but my Queen knows as well. When I told her I was coming to visit you, she told me to ask whether 'the telepath' knew Swedish and whether she could be borrowed. If my Queen knows about her, I would not be surprised if a good number of vampire head of states know about her. And believe me, if it is known that she is part-Fae, things will only get worse."

That was something I was all too aware of. "I know. I intend on keeping that quiet."

"When do you plan on turning her?" Åsa asked softly.

"She does not wish to be turned." It was a conversation we'd had on a few occasions and I well knew her opinions on the matter.

"Eric," she said, her voice full of concern. "You have bonded to a human. Her life is not permanent, she could be dead in fifty years. I would not like to think what will happen to you if the bond tares like that."

I was all too aware of Sookie's mortality, and I understood Åsa's concern for me. "She is Fae. She has the essential spark."

That surprised my child. "Of what kin is she?"

"Sky."

"Does Brigant know of this?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"She is his great-granddaughter. He knows of our union. Sookie has a full-Fae cousin who helps her with her abilities. She is already showing to be powerful."

Åsa was stunned. She'd had some Fae abilities before I had turned her, but her spark was not as strong as Sookie's and had been frozen by my turning her.

"You know this doesn't simplify matters."

"Yes, I do."

Åsa stepped towards me and placed her head on my chest. I allowed myself to briefly breathe in her familiar scent, but I resisted placing my hands on her. "I have missed you, Eric. And I will admit that I came here hoping we could rekindle what we had." She lifted her head and met my eyes. There was definite lust coming from her, but she did not act on her impulses. "But I can see how much you love this fairy, and I will not stand in between you. However, I would like to get to know you again."

"I can agree to that." I wasn't sure Sookie would be too happy with Åsa sticking around, but I was sure I could explain in to her.

My thoughts were interrupted by my phone ringing in my pocket, and I stepped back and answered the call. It was Pam.

"_I found her stopped by the side of the road,"_ Pam said straight away. _"She was leaking."_

I shut my eyes in frustration at myself. I should not have let her go alone. I should have sent Pam or someone with her. And I also should have realised that she was hiding her true feelings from me. I had known that she felt insignificant and insecure when she met Åsa, and I should not have believed that she was okay with me talking to my former lover.

"Where is she now?" I growled.

"_At home in bed and asleep. I called her witch friend to be with her. She needs you, Eric."_ My child hung up the phone before I had the chance to answer her.

"Go to her, Eric." Åsa said having heard my short conversation with Pam. Her eyes were earnest and kind, and I felt no malice coming from her. "I wish to get to know her better, if you will allow me."

"I will speak to her," I said noncommittally. "Come by tomorrow, I wish to meet your child." She nodded once and I took to the sky, flying as fast as I could in the direction of Bon Temps, and not caring that the rain in the air was soaking my skin.

As soon as I landed outside her farmhouse, I was greeted by Pam who placed a firm hand on my chest. "She does not know that I have called you, but she fears you will hate her for not trusting you."

I could certainly see that point. I had promised Sookie that Åsa's arrival would not change anything, and that was the case.

"She is a jealous and emotional being," Pam informed me. "She is as possessive of you as you are of her, and she has found it difficult to understand that Åsa is not a threat to her. Don't let her down."

I nodded once to her and entered Sookie's home. The witch was in the kitchen and she acknowledged me as I went on my way to Sookie's bedroom. I opened up the bond fully, and even though Sookie was sleeping, I could feel her sadness. When I entered her room, I could see that she had a paper tissue in her hand and her eyes looked swollen.

I kicked off my boots and wet clothes and climbed onto the bed, staying on top of the covers so my cool temperature would not cause her to be chilled. I wrapped my arm tightly around her, and moulded myself into her back. Sookie unconsciously pressed her body into mine, and I held onto her tighter, my lips placing soft kisses down her neck.

"I love you, Sookie," I whispered into her hair while she slept. "And seeing Åsa … it only confirmed it. Before I met you, I thought that I did still love her, but I don't. It's you, Sookie. Only you."

* * *

**So … does this mean all is still okay in paradise? What of the fact that so many vampires know about Sookie's ability?**

**Next chapter won't be up until next Sunday as I really do have to do some work this week, and I'm going away with the Hubs for a few days at the end of the week for some sea air.**

**Thanks for reading, I'd love to know your thoughts.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Well here is the next chapter. I've had an eventful weekend, with my car failing halfway into my journey, a £80 ($131) taxi ride, a rental car and a new car to be bought hopefully in time to drive 660 odd miles to the Isle of Skye for our holiday in under 2 weeks. All fun!**

**Anyhoo, most reviewers seemed to not quite trust Åsa … But on with the show…**

* * *

**Sookie**

As I drove away from Fangtasia, I was determined to stay strong. Or at least, let Eric think that I was. I was aware that Eric was easily able to manipulate the bond between us and close it off when there were emotions he didn't want me to feel. And on occasion over the past couple of months, I had been quite glad of that ability of his. I was well aware that vampire politics was brutal at best, and I didn't want to be on the receiving end of one of Eric's temper tantrums.

But my theory was that if Eric could manipulate the bond and shield me from his emotions, was there any reason why I couldn't do the same? And it certainly wasn't as if I hadn't done a similar thing when it came to shielding my mind from the many voices and thoughts I blocked out on a daily basis. So, I had been experimenting. And I had been able to block my emotions to some extent, or to make Eric think I was feeling one way, when I really felt another.

I was sure that if/when Eric found out I could do this, he'd be pissed with me, but right now, I was glad that I had taken the time to practice my control over the bond. I knew that there was no way Eric would let me leave alone if he knew how depressed I felt at meeting the gorgeously perfect Åsa, but I had to leave. I also knew that in many ways, I was pushing him into her arms in leaving them alone together, but I had no chance against her and their history together. I was better being a realist.

I tried to keep some semblance of control as I drove home. I'd driven Eric's Corvette a few times before, but it wasn't my favourite car in the world to drive and I needed to keep my wits about me. Something that wasn't easy to do when tears were clouding my vision. In the end, I had no option to pull over to the side of the road and wipe my eyes. I did manage to get control of myself and carry on, but after another ten miles, I had to pull over once more and I allowed my misery to consume me, letting the walls of my control slip on the bond.

This wasn't like me. I was a strong, successful and independent woman, but somehow since meeting Eric I had become highly dependent on him. Too dependent. I wanted to be the feminist that said she didn't need a man, but I did need him. I was in love with him and I wanted to be his as much as I wanted him to be mine.

I had loved Alcide, or I was certainly sure at the time that I had done, but when he upped and left me for Debbie, I cried no more than a few tears. But this? This was heart-breaking, gut-wrenching misery. I slumped down into the seat and didn't even bother to wipe my tears away; there were plenty more where they came from.

After an indeterminate amount of time, I realised that the car door on the passenger side had been opened, my seatbelt had been undone, and I'd been moved into the passenger seat. When I finally opened my eyes, I saw Pam giving me a sympathetic yet somehow understanding look.

"I'm driving you home," she said as she started the car once more and continued in the direction of Bon Temps. "And I have called your witch friend. She will meet us at your house."

I was grateful for her, but I didn't know why she was here. How did she know to even look for me? Did I allow myself to think that Eric had sent her to come and find me? I couldn't bring myself to ask, so just let Pam take control, and within ten minutes, we were back at my farmhouse.

Pam appeared at the passenger side door and gave me a gentle pull so I stood up, and her and Amelia, who had also appeared out of nowhere, led me into my house and deposited it me at the kitchen table.

I was aware that Amelia and Pam were having a quiet conversation together, but I didn't take the effort to listen in, focusing instead on getting a hold on myself and gaining some inner strength from somewhere. I noticed after a few minutes that Amelia left and Pam joined me at the table.

"He called me to tell me to come and get you," Pam informed me, answering my unspoken question.

"Oh," being my weary response.

She sighed. "Sookie, he loves you. And trust me when I say that he didn't want to, but he does. And the two of you have a very strong bond. That bitch can feel that as well as I can."

I had to smile at her calling Åsa a bitch, but it slipped when I thought about her more. "Pam, she's a freaking supermodel. She's Angelina Jolie and I'm Jennifer Anniston. I don't stand a chance against her. Hell, they'll probably adopt some vampire babies between them."

Pam rolled her eyes. "For the record, I prefer Jennifer Anniston, and I certainly prefer you." She leered at me in a very Eric kind of way, and I couldn't help but chuckle to myself. "And Eric and I usually tend to like the same women. Maybe in the past he would have gone for someone like her, and he obviously did. But she really isn't his type anymore."

I let my hands fall away from underneath my chin and dropped my head to the wooden table, allowing it to bang and try to knock some sense into me. "What's he going to think of me for not trusting him though?" I asked Pam when I lifted my head a few inches. "He promised me her being here doesn't change anything, but I can't bring myself to believe him. He'll hate me! What must he think of me?" I lowered my head once more and more tears began to spill from my eyes.

"Sookie!" Pam almost shouted in an exasperated tone. "You are one complicated and overly emotional woman!" I couldn't really disagree with her on that one. "I'm sure that Eric can understand your insecurities concerning Åsa. But you really should know that he does love you, and I don't see him choosing her over you. In fact, if you ask me he should order that bitch back to Europe."

"I can't ask him to do that. She's his child. I would never ask him to do anything like that with you." I sighed once more. "I feel emotionally exhausted, but I really don't think I could sleep."

"That, is why I called the witch. Right now, she's mixing a potion for you that will make you sleep for twelve hours. Your body needs the rest and it will help heal your mind. You need to talk to Eric, but tonight is not the right time."

A few moments later, Amelia walked back in carrying a small vile of a pink coloured liquid. I had known that Amelia was a witch for a few months, but I never really witnessed first-hand what she could do.

"Come on, hon, let's get you to bed. The potion works within minutes, and I'm not sure you want Pam undressing you." She gave me a smile and pointed me in the direction of my room, and past a scowling Pam. I changed into a pair of comfy pyjamas, grabbed a tissue from the box of Kleenex by my bed and wiped the dampness from my eyes. Once I was in bed, Amelia handed me the small vile and told me to drink the whole thing down, which I did so, surprised that it didn't taste too horrid.

"It will be okay," Amelia said as I handed the small bottle back to her.

"I hope you're right."

I snuggled down under the covers, and could feel the beginnings of sleep tugging at me. Amelia smiled at me once more and turned off the light in my room as she left.

.

I hardly remembered falling asleep, but I woke up to a fully dark room and a cool arm wrapped tightly around me. It was Eric. Meaning he had come to me. I wondered how long he had been here, as it was more than possible that he'd only arrived just before dawn.

Although Eric didn't stay often at my house due to the security arrangements not being a stringent as they were at his huge house in Shreveport, I had insisted on having my room made light tight for the odd occasion that he was here, as I didn't like the idea of him sleeping under the floorboards in a closet. That was just wrong for someone like Eric.

Needing to attend to some urgent bladder action, I wriggled out from Eric's strong embrace and slipped into my bathroom. I decided to take a shower to try to restore some level of humanity to me, and I got changed into a simple yellow sundress once I was dry.

I walked back into the room and looked at Eric. He didn't look as peaceful as he normally did, as he literally died with whatever expression was on his face when daylight took him. And obviously, he had been troubled last night when he joined me. I sighed to myself, turned off the light and carefully made my way into the hallway. Once I was in the kitchen, I was more than happy to see Amelia sat there with a mug of steaming coffee for me. Looking at the clock, I could see that it was half eleven and therefore exactly twelve hours after I had gone to sleep.

"I think I love you," I said after taking a large sip of the steaming brown liquid. "I see Eric slipped in a little before dawn," I commented as I placed my mug on the table.

"No."

"Sorry?" I didn't understand what her 'no' meant.

"Sook, he was there twenty minutes after you fell asleep. Pam had called him, and he came straight here. He didn't leave your side all night."

Well that surprised me. And pleased me, as well. Maybe I was being overly pessimistic.

"So what's she like?" Amelia asked when I didn't respond to her. I didn't really want to talk about Åsa, but maybe I needed to get used to it.

"She's a freaking supermodel," I snarked. "Tall and unnaturally attractive, with dark brown hair, green eyes, designer dress and killer heels. She's every woman's worst nightmare, but she happens to be real for me."

Amelia took my hand. "Sook, I know that dealing with an ex isn't easy. And I get that this is very different to your circumstance, but Tray was married before, and him and his ex-wife have kids together. I have to deal with that woman on a weekly basis, and I can assure you that it isn't easy. But like with Eric and Åsa, Dana has to still be in Tray's life as she's the mother of his kids. It's not easy, but you have to get over it and move past it. From the look on his face last night, it's obvious how much he loves you. Which means you need to be strong and stand up to that bitch. Do not let her win! She's obviously here to get her claws back into Eric, and you need to stand up and fight. With a pointy wooden stake if necessary."

I smiled at Amelia's motivational speech, and completely agreed with everything she had said. I wasn't going to take this lying down for her to walk all over me. Sure, seeing her had been difficult considering she looked like a freaking supermodel, but Eric did love me, and I loved him.

"I'm not sure going all Buffy of her ass is going to endear me to Eric," I pointed out.

"So? He'll get over it."

"Maybe so, but I don't want to ruin any Maker-child relationship Eric has with her."

"He hasn't seen the bitch for four-hundred years," Amelia commented, obviously having been filled in of the details by Pam. "Which means her coming back isn't just a 'hi, how you doin', just thought I'd drop in after four hundred years' kind of thing. She must have some kind of ulterior motive, and my guessing, and Pam's, for the record, is that she is here because of you."

"Me?"

"Yes. Either she has somehow felt that Eric is all happy and in love, or bonded, or she's found out about you being a telepath. Or a fairy. Or all of them. Which really doesn't sound good for you. So you need to get her ass out of this state, and make sure Eric has commanded her to keep her rima oris shut."

I smiled at my friend once more. "Thanks Meels."

"Look, I need to run. Will you be okay?" She had a concerned look on her face.

"Yeah, I'll be good. Are there guards here?"

"Of course," she said with a knowing smile. It had become part of our lives that wherever Eric and I were, there were guards somewhere nearby. And like with Eric's house, my farmhouse had been warded against intruders, so Eric would be quite safe here.

After seeing her to the door, I grabbed my laptop, and went back into my bedroom to do some work. Unsurprisingly, Eric hadn't moved an inch, but it was strange seeing him fully dressed and in bed. He normally slept naked, which just showed how stained things were right now. I sighed, and settled down at the desk to do a couple of hours work before Eric woke.

About half an hour before I knew Eric was going to wake, I slipped out of my clothes and into a red silk baby doll that had somehow managed to survive Eric, and slipped into his arms. I didn't think I would, but I somehow managed to drift off to sleep, and was woken to Eric tightening his arms around me and gently kissing down my neck.

"Mmmm, evening."

"Evening, lover. You seem happier," he observed.

I sighed and turned to face him. "I am. I had a talk with Amelia this afternoon. I'm sorry for the way I reacted; it's as if I don't trust you, and that really isn't the case. It's just … seeing her and knowing your history together … I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to be with her."

Eric let out an unnecessary sigh and sat up in the bed facing me. "I am sorry." I was about to protest that he didn't need to apologise for anything, but he held up a hand to silence me, and I remained quiet. "I should have known that you would struggle with seeing Åsa, and I should not have let you drive home on your own. I felt how you responded to her at first, but you seemed okay when you left…" he trailed off, and I knew it was my opportunity to confess.

"Yeah, I may have been masking how I really felt. I knew the two of you needed to talk, and you weren't going to be able to do that while I was around."

Eric's face darkened slightly when I admitted manipulating the bond, but he pulled me to him. "Sookie, you are my number one priority, and I need to know what you're feeling. Please don't block your emotions from me."

"I'll try not to." I wasn't going to agree to it completely; I was as much the politician as Eric, at times.

He smiled at my avoidance. "That will have to do. But for the record, I'm impressed you have the ability to do it. I wouldn't have expected you to be able to." He did sound impressed rather than condescending.

I shrugged. "I assumed that because I could control my ability to hear the thoughts of those around me and control the walls I build up, that I could control this as well. But obviously, I'm not that good and I slipped when I became too emotional."

"Given time you should be able to control it better." He pulled me to him and placed a soft kiss on my lips.

"Can I just point out that you are wearing far too many clothes." Eric arched an eyebrow. "Strip." It was an order, but one Eric seemed happy enough to comply with, and stood up by the side of the bed. "Slowly."

He did as I asked and pulled off his black t-shirt, undid the belt of his jeans, and slowly unbuttoned them. He was definitely getting a kick out of stripping for me. But when I expected his gracious plenty to spring out of his jeans, I was surprised to see a somewhat strained pair of red satin briefs. I was surprisingly hit by a surge of jealousy as I wondered whether he had chosen to wear them for Åsa, and Eric raised an eyebrow at my emotions.

"Take them off," I growled. He did as I asked and I climbed up from the bed to stand next to his naked form. He remained silent as I ran my finger nails down his solid torso until I reached the deep and sexy V of his hips. With my eyes fixed on Eric's, I knelt down in front of him and took him deeply into my mouth, one hand stroking what I could not reach, and my other firmly on his backside.

Eric moaned as I worked him, and I could feel myself becoming more and more turned on as I gave him his pleasure. He moved a hand to my head to guide me, but I growled at him, let him out of my mouth and stood up. "Bed," I ordered, and surprisingly he complied.

It was unlike Eric to ever submit to me. We had played games before where I would be in charge, but they never lasted long before Eric took over and asserted his dominance. But in this case, Eric obviously realised my need to claim him and was doing as I asked him to.

I stripped off my own negligée and thong, and climbed up the bed to where Eric was laid out on his back, his dick standing tall along his stomach and twitching as he watched me. I climbed up his body, and ran my wetness along the length of him, eliciting a moan from him. Then, I lined him up and slammed myself onto him. It was the kind of move I knew would probably hurt a human man, but Eric was as hard as an iron rod and I didn't need to be as concerned.

We both moaned as he filled me completely, and I quickly began a frantic pace, my hands resting on his thighs behind me for support as I moved my hips on his. Eric's hands were softly on my hips, but he wasn't guiding me, and his eyes were fixed on mine and blazing.

"Fuck!" he hissed as I slammed myself hard onto him, and I could feel that he was dying to take control and finish us both off.

"Touch me," I ordered. Eric's fingers were instantly on my clit, and when I leaned forward, he palmed my right breast and squeezed my nipple in the most delicious way.

I needed to claim him as mine, and whether it was from spending too much time with Eric or not, but I had the intense urge to bite him and take his blood. And I did just that. I leaned forward so I had easy access to his neck, and I bit him as hard as I could. Eric howled with pleasure, and I felt him expand inside me as he was about to come. Eric's own fangs slid into my neck and my orgasm hit me hard.

But I wasn't going to stop drinking from him. I had always been uncomfortable with biting him, as it took a lot of effort to break through his skin and I was always concerned about hurting him. But on this occasion, I had no such concerns, and even when his wound resealed I bit him once more.

"Sookie, that's enough," he whispered softly into my ear.

But I wanted him. I wanted his blood inside me as much as I wanted mine inside him. I shook my head and carried on pulling at the wound until Eric gently eased me away from his neck. A move that earned him a growl from me. I tried to pull away from him, but he held tightly onto me, and gently licked at the place where he had bitten me.

"You forgot to say 'mine' at any point," he teased gently.

"I was thinking it," I confessed.

He moved me so that our eyes were locked on each other's. "I liked you claiming me like that. But I am already yours."

"I know, I just …" I trailed off and I lowered my eyes from him. I didn't know how to explain this to him. She was his ex, but she was his child as well. Whether I wanted to accept it or not, she would always be part of him, and she obviously had her motivations for coming back now. And I feared that Amelia was right in suggesting that her appearance wasn't just coincidence. I took a deep breath and continued. "I fear that I can never measure up to her. You were together for over three centuries, you're both vampires, and you're her Maker!" I said, exasperated. "And I know I'm your wife in vampire law, but surely there are vampires that will not even recognise that our marriage because I am not a vampire." I sighed. "I didn't intend to get this attached to you. Hell, at first I fully planned on staying as far away from you as possible, but I love you and I can't bear to lose you."

"You're not going to," he assured me. "And I don't care what other vampires think about our marriage." He hesitated briefly before saying what he wanted to. "Sook, seeing Åsa has only confirmed to me how much I do love you. And before I met you, I thought that maybe I did still love her. But I don't; it's only you, Sookie."

Try as might, I couldn't stop the tear that slid from my eyes at his words, and I pulled his face to mine and kissed him with everything I had. Our bond was fully open between us, and I could feel the truth in his words. We kissed lazily, although it didn't take too long before Eric was hard and poking me in the thigh.

This time our love making was sweet. It still had an undercurrent of neediness – mainly from me – but we kissed gently and groped at whatever part of each other we could reach.

"I don't want to ruin this…" Eric started after we'd showered together and had more mutual orgasms. "But we need to go to Fangtasia. It seems Åsa has brought her new child with her, and they both must register in my area. But we also both need to talk to Åsa. She wants to get to know me again as well as you, although I would understand if that is not high on your list of priorities." He was quite right. "But it also seems that she knows about your telepathy, both from Russell Edgington and her own Queen. This is something we will have to address. I had not anticipated news of your ability going so far afield."

Great. This really wasn't what I needed. But if it was true that Åsa had been told about my ability as a telepath, it meant that my ability was probably known worldwide.

"I will never let anything happen to you," Eric assured me, and I could feel that he meant what he said. But it meant that I would have to be more careful when Eric was not around to protect me. And I also needed to work on my Fae powers. Claudine had been working with me on a weekly basis to try to hone my powers, and I had made good progress in controlling them.

We arrived at Fangtasia an hour later and immediately went to his office. Pam had phoned him on the way to let him know that Åsa and her child were already at the club, and the two of them were shown in not long after we arrived.

Åsa was dressed in a pale green dress that perfectly matched her eyes, and her hair was in an annoyingly tousled just-sexed look. I couldn't help but hate her. But her child was an almost clone of Eric. He was the same height as Eric, but had a slimmer build with short blond hair, pale blue eyes and a slightly bulbous nose. And if it weren't for knowing Eric, I certainly would have found him good-looking. He was even wearing a characteristically Eric black vest-top and jeans.

"Åsa," Eric addressed as her and her child walked in to his office. Eric had me by his side, and when he sat down, he pulled me onto his lap.

"This is my child, Johan," she responded in English, obviously for my benefit.

Johan nervously appraised Eric, but nodded to him in respect. That was before his eyes fell on me, anyway. I noted that he smelled the air, and as he caught the scent of me, his fangs elongated and he gave me a very hungry look.

"Do you share?" Johan asked Eric before Åsa had a chance to chastise him for staring at me.

Before I knew what was happening, Eric had pinned Johan to the wall of his office with his fangs bared. "That is my wife, bonded and Queen you are talking about. You will treat her with respect. Retract your fangs."

Johan did as he was ordered, and I saw that Åsa was carefully watching this interaction between her maker and her child.

"You need to control your child better," Eric said to Åsa as he released him. The young vampire rubbed his throat as Eric collected me in his arms once more and we sat opposite the two vampires.

I couldn't deny that I was uncomfortable. It was like some kind of Mexican stand-off between them all, and I was seemingly the bate.

"It's nice to meet you, Sookie," Åsa said to break the silence between the three vampires.

"And you, Åsa," I said, trying to sound convinced.

"I know this is difficult for you considering Eric's and my … history. But I can feel how much he loves you, and I will not stand in your way." I had to admit that she was convincing, and I was sure that Eric could feel if she was lying or not. Of course, it was also a little arrogant of her to even assume that she would be standing in my way.

"Thank you, Åsa."

"But you need to be careful. Both of you," she said, looking at Eric as well. "I spoke to my Queen earlier this evening to ask where she heard about your telepathy." She turned to her maker. "Eric, this is much wider than I thought it would be. It is very well known that you have procured a telepath, and it seems that at first someone was selling that information to the highest bidders."

Eric growled, and I gasped at her news. I knew this was my own stupid fault for trusting my ability with Quinn, and I hated that I could be trouble for Eric because of my naiveté.

"Sookie, this isn't your fault," Eric told me, his hand gently stroking along my spine.

"I shouldn't have trusted Quinn. I thought if I gave him my secret, it would make him more willing to disclose his. I'm sorry."

"It will be okay. And anyway, I have many spare walls to hang a tiger skin." I should have been disgusted at the thought of him killing John Quinn, but I had to admit that I wasn't. "Other vampires would have found out eventually. What cannot be known is that you are part-Fae."

"I will not disclose her heritage," Åsa told him. "And nor will my child. You have my promise, Eric." Obviously, Eric could feel whether she was sincere or not, and I trusted him to make that call. I was sure that given any hesitance he would compel her to keep quiet. "I understand that you are Niall's great-granddaughter?" she asked, addressing me.

"I am," I confirmed after looking at Eric.

"Niall had the ability to mask his scent. If that is something you can do as well, you would be wise to do so. I was able to instantly tell that you are part-Fae due to my own bloodline, and as you can tell from Johan's reaction to you, you do smell much sweeter than most humans. If you continue to improve your Fae magic, it is likely to increase your scent."

"That is something I had not thought of," Eric commented before I had the chance to say anything. I could feel that he was troubled.

"I'm due to see Niall next week anyway," I suggested. "Claudine told me that he wants to see me, so I can mention this to him."

"It would be wise, but I would like to speak to him as well. I will call him and ask that he comes during the night so we can all discuss this. I will not have you endangered."

"Okay," I agreed. I had to admit that I did feel it was time that Niall, Eric and I sat down together and discussed what all this was about. I had been told by Eric that Niall did nothing without motivation, and he obviously had his reasons for allowing Eric and I to be bonded and pledged considering that the Fae and vampires were natural enemies.

"Sookie?" Åsa asked, addressing me. "I would like very much to talk to you. Alone," she added with a look at Eric.

I could feel Eric's unease, but I could appreciate that the two of us probably did need to have a chat, as I wanted to know what her motives were for being here.

"Sure." I gave her as warm a smile as I could muster, and turned to Eric.

I placed a hand on his cheek and kissed his nose. "I'll be okay."

"I'll be in the bar," he told me as he stood up from underneath me and placed me gently in his seat.

I noted that he gave Åsa a stern look, before turning to Johan. "You, come with me. I'm sure there will be some tables to clear."

Johan looked like he about to complain, but Åsa shot him a look and he went along with Eric. It was quite funny seeing a man of his size look so sullen, and I struggled to keep a smile off my face as he walked out.

"I have to admit that he is hard work," Åsa commented once the door had been shut behind them. "Mathieu was never such trouble. I can only assume that it is because he was a modern man before he was turned. He was not used to having to answer to anyone, and vampire society is very hierarchical. But I am sure you have realised that by now."

She was quite right. "I have. And I will freely admit that I struggled with the idea that I would be seen as a pet, at best. It has been a steep learning curve."

"It will have been. But what you must realise is that you are a liability to him. You are his biggest weakness. I have told Eric that my Queen knew of your telepathy, but she also informed me of his relationship with you. It is one thing that Eric has bonded and pledged to you because you are a valuable asset to him. It is another entirely that he loves you."

"Were you going to tell Eric this?" I asked.

"Yes. But I wanted to make sure that you realised how much he is risking in committing to you in that way."

I had realised that I probably was an anchor around Eric's neck to some extent, and right from the start he must have spent a lot on security for me. But not being a vampire myself, I hadn't realised the way this would be viewed in his world.

"I do. But what does it mean?"

She shifted in her seat, her eyes set firmly on me. "It means that you need to be able to defend yourself. And if you are as powerful a fairy as Eric seems to think you are, you need to learn the extent of your powers and work out how to use them. Eric is right in saying that you need to speak to the Prince, and I would not be surprised if Niall was to admit that he knows how well known you are becoming in the vampire community. Just realise this, Sookie. With the great revelation due later on this year, a vampire-loving human telepath is one hell of an asset to have. And add to the fact that you are the wife of one of the most revered vampires in the Americas, it will only increase the pressure on Eric."

She paused to let me take in this information. I could completely understand what she had said, and the last thing I wanted was to cause Eric any undue harm.

"It is the reason I came here," she continued, and answering one of the questions I had for her. "I could tell from the bond I have with Eric that is happy and in love. But I needed to be sure that you knew what it means to be with him at this time. That you love him as well."

"I do," I admitted freely. "And I thank you for telling me this. I do know that Eric has gone to a great length to keep me safe, and I have appreciated it. I will admit that I have found it a little stifling at times; I do enjoy my own freedom. But I will not do anything that will risk Eric, and if that means I have to make some further changes, then I will do so."

"Good. I didn't want to have to kill you."

"I'm sorry?" I asked, my fear spiking.

She gave me a warm smile and looked to the door where Eric flew in. "Kidding. I just wanted to see how closely this one was monitoring us."

I couldn't help but role my eyes and smile at her antics. "I think you and Pam would probably get along quite well," I said with a knowing smile. Eric raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. "I'm fine, honestly."

Åsa stood up and walked up closer to me. She was even more intimidatingly beautiful up close, and I couldn't help but feel intimidated by her. "I do still love Eric," she told me, looking briefly at him before turning back to me. "And I won't forget or regret what we had. But it was the right time for me to move on, and I can see that Eric's place is with you. Just protect each other, you will both have to be an asset to the other."

Eric moved to stand behind me and tightly wrapped his arms around me. "I will do," I told her, my hands stroking Eric's muscled arms as I relaxed into his touch.

Our moment was interrupted by Pam knocking at the door of Eric's office. She walked in as soon as Eric answered, Johan hot on her tail. All three of us smiled at the obvious attraction Johan had for Pam, and I wondered whether he had been told that he had little to no chance with her. From the daggers that Pam was shooting at Eric, I could assume that he had not been.

"I just thought you may like to know," Pam announced, pausing dramatically for effect. "That Niall Brigant is here to see all three of you."

"Three of us?" Eric queried.

Pam looked to Åsa but answered Eric. "Yes, it appears that he knows she is here."

I couldn't quite read the expression on Åsa's face, but Eric was also curious. It was Eric that spoke up. "Well, we wanted to speak to him, and now is our chance. Send him in, please Pam, and then join us. I think the Prince owes us an explanation."

* * *

**So, why is the Prince turning up now? Does it involve Åsa? How much does he know about what is going on, and can he help train and protect Sookie?**

**I'd love to know your thoughts.**

**;)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Sorry for the delay in posting – had a manic week. But here is chapter 17, starting with Eric's POV…**

* * *

**Eric**

I looked to Pam, who nodded once and left the room. She returned a few moments later with Niall Brigant who was keeping a safe distance away from her. Pam had good control, but she knew as well as I did how delicious fairies tasted, and the Prince was right to stay a distance from her. Of course, him being in a room with three vampires wasn't the best option for him, but he had the ability to mask his scent and to teleport away if he needed to.

"Niall," I greeted as Pam showed him into the office. He scanned the room before nodding to me.

"Viking," he said, addressing me respectfully before he glanced at Sookie. "Great-granddaughter, it is good to see you again."

"And you," Sookie responded politely, pulling away from my grasp and going to kiss him softly on the cheek. It took a lot of willpower not to ravish her there and then with her fair-scented lips.

"I would like to introduce my elder child, Åsa, and her child Johan."

Niall turned to Åsa and Johan, eying the young vampire before nodding to Åsa. "Good to see you again, Åsa."

I felt Sookie stiffen in my arms and I did the same, unable to suppress a low growl. "You know each other?" Sookie asked for me.

Niall fixed his eyes on my wife. "Yes. She is of your kin."

The silence in the room was palpable. Sookie was stunned, and as was I. I looked to my child, who was avoiding my gaze.

"Åsa," I commanded, and she finally turned to me, surprise, but also guilt filling the bond I shared with her.

It was Niall who chose to fill in the blanks. "Viking, I have taken the time to know of all beings who are part-Fae, and I met your child several centuries ago." He sat down in one of the chairs opposite my desk, with Åsa next to him and Sookie firmly in my arms as she perched in my lap. "Åsa is one-quarter Fire Fairy, as you know, but over recent centuries I have allied myself and my kin with the Fire Fae."

"Fire and Air," Sookie mused to herself.

"Quite. And as have the Earth Fae aligned themselves with the Water Fae. We are at war, as you know," he gave Sookie a small yet sad smile, "so I have made it my duty to know all those who have Fae blood that I could call an ally. Åsa is one of them."

I could not deny that I was surprised at this. I knew Brigant was secretive, so it surprised me that he had made himself known to my child. "Fine. That explains how you know each other, but how is Sookie kin of Åsa's when my child is not of your bloodline." I felt Sookie's curiosity peak as well.

"That is something I have been investigating since I first met my great-granddaughter," the fairy said cryptically. I waited for him to explain himself. "You know that telepathy is not a known Fae trait," both Sookie and I nodded. "Well that is the case of the Sky Fae. The only other place where I had known of telepathy as an ability is the Fire Fae."

"Meaning?" I pressed. I was getting inpatient with Niall not giving me the whole story.

"Meaning that I suspected Sookie may have links to the Fire Fae, and I have been proved right."

"I don't understand," Sookie told him, her confusion clear in our bond.

Niall looked briefly to Åsa, and then back to Sookie. "Åsa's father was a man by the name of Edo. He was half-Fae, his own father being a Prince of the Fire Fae named Heigen." I had known this, but allowed him to continue for Sookie's sake.

I'd taken an interest in Åsa's Fae family when she first told me, but in Appius' arrogance, he commanded me not to pursue my interest. Appius never respected the Fae for what they were, and refused to acknowledge their power and strength. It was a mistake he nearly came to regret on many an occasion. I couldn't quite anticipate what this had to do with Sookie, however.

"Heigen was known to be a lover of human women, and fathered many half-breed children. One of those children and the most recent was a daughter by the name of Alana." He paused and turned his attention to Sookie, giving her a warm smile. "Tell me, Great-granddaughter, what do you know of your mother's family."

"My mom's family?" she repeated back to him. He nodded. "Not much," she admitted. "I remember that my mom and dad absolutely adored each other, and that she was beautiful and kind. Although where my dad was quite mellow, my mom definitely had an explosive temper on her, something Jason will remember all too well!" she smiled at the memory. "But as for her family … I don't ever remember meeting any of them. She told us that she was an only child, but honestly I don't know what happened to her parents. Why?"

"Because your mom, Michelle, was the daughter of Alana and her human lover. Your mom was one-quarter Fae, and a cousin of Åsa. As are you."

I was as surprised as Sookie was. This meant that Sookie was one-quarter Fae, and from two different houses. And she was a distant relative of my child, something I knew that Sookie was going to struggle with. I sent calm through our bond and gently rubbed her back. Her emotions were in turmoil, and I could feel a little tension coming from Åsa as well. She obviously didn't know this either.

"W-what?" Sookie eventually stuttered.

"I know this is a lot to take in, my child, but you need to know your full history. You are of the royal line of two Fae houses. You had to have adequate protection, and Northman was it."

"Excuse me?" Sookie asked at the same time as I growled at him.

"Calm yourself, vampire," Niall said to me, and I felt Sookie's hand gently stroke my arm, her motions having the effect her Fairy ancestor desired. "All I am saying is that I gave you two a push."

"No, you didn't," Sookie argued. "I met Eric when he came to me to buy the land," she said stubbornly.

"You mean the Fae land that I told you to sell to your vampire?" His question was rhetorical but I didn't miss him calling me her vampire. "I am not saying that you two would not have ended up together, and I will admit that I did not anticipate that you would fall in love. But Sookie, you needed his protection. As he will need yours in the future." I hated the way Niall could be so cryptic. "And that you are kin of his eldest child only proves I made the right decision. Claudine will be working more closely with you, Sookie, and I suggest you spend some time with Åsa, as she will be able to give you knowledge of the Fire Fae. I know you have more questions for me, my child, but I cannot answer them now. I will bid you all goodnight." And with that, he disappeared from the room.

Åsa was staring intently at Sookie, and I could feel her own confusion and apprehension. "Well, that was unexpected," Sookie said in an attempt to lighten the mood in the room. Neither Åsa or I smiled. I didn't appreciate Niall stepping in as he had, but I was also surprised by the revelations of the night. And I didn't know what to think of Åsa being a relative of Sookie's.

I knew that Sookie was still apprehensive of Åsa, and although I had stopped short of commanding my child not to disclose Sookie's heritage, I could feel her sincerity that she would not tell a soul. And Åsa had always kept her own heritage covered up, so she knew the importance of secrecy when it came to being part-Fae.

Sookie spoke up again when neither of us answered her. "What did Niall mean when he said that you will need my protection in the future?" She turned in her seat to face me, her eyes a little wider than normal.

"I do not know," I said as calmly as I could.

"Niall doesn't have the gift of foresight," Åsa commented. Both Sookie and I turned to face her. "But he knows what is going on. He has eyes in many places." She paused briefly, her eyes on mine. "I have already told Sookie this, but the extent of your relationship with her is known to other vampires. It will therefore be known that she will be a weakness to you. Or at least, that is what they will expect." She looked at Sookie once more in acknowledgement of her not being the weak human other vampires would expect her to be.

I had suspected that that information would be widespread within the vampire community. "How well known?"

"My Queen knew. I wouldn't be surprised if other monarchs know. You _must_ keep her safe." Åsa almost growled her last comment at me, and I could feel a protectiveness from her that I hadn't felt before. That was something that pleased me, and made me feel more comfortable about allowing Åsa to be in Sookie's company.

Wanting to include Pam in this conversation as well, I called her to me, smiling when Johan appeared on her tail as well.

"Your child is an idiot," Pam announced to Åsa as she perched on the side of my desk. It took a lot of effort to refrain from smiling. I felt Sookie's amusement as well.

"Pam," I scolded. "Apologise."

She scowled at me before turning to Åsa. I could see that even she was quite amused, and I certainly agreed with Pam's description of him. I wanted to speak further to Åsa about him, as there was something I found odd about him, and it wasn't just that he looked so much like me.

"I apologise for saying your child is an idiot," she addressed to Åsa, her insincerity evident.

"Accepted," Åsa said with a knowing smile.

I proceeded to fill Pam in on the events of the evening. She was as surprised as I had been at the revelation that Åsa was a relative of Sookie's, but also appreciated that we did need to protect Sookie.

"Do I get a say in all this," Sookie said once I had finished telling Pam everything.

"Of course." Sookie gave me a slightly disbelieving look. But I would certainly consider what she had to say, even if I didn't give in to her. Her safety was paramount, and there was no way that I was going to let anything happen to her. In fact, I was already strategizing ways to secure my whole kingdom, and was considering hiring Britlingans as it was something Sookie didn't even have to know about.

"You're scheming, I can tell." She narrowed her eyes at me, and I heard both Pam and Åsa snicker slightly. These three women were going to be the death of me and it made me almost regret not turning a male vampire.

"I am simply thinking of ways to keep you safe and to make sure no other monarchs make a move on my kingdom," I told her, feeling the need to justify myself.

"Fine. But I don't want to be a prisoner, Eric. I want my own freedom. And if I have to have werewolves shadowing me, then so-be-it, but I will not put my life on hold and run scared." She gave me a stern look and I could feel her determination.

I could tell this wasn't going to be easy, and I didn't want to have to assert my authority over her, particularly in the company of Åsa and Pam. But if I had to, I would. However, it was Åsa that spoke up.

"Sookie," she addressed gently. "What do you think Eric would do if another vampire took you hostage? What would Eric do if he felt your fear or pain?"

Sookie tightened her grip on my arm, and I pulled her closer to me. I hated the thought of any other vampire touching her, but I could see where Åsa was going with this.

I could feel Sookie's resignation already as she too realised what my child was saying. "He'd do anything to come and rescue me." She turned to me and placed a hand on my face. She sighed deeply. "I get what you all are saying. And if Eric was ever captured and held, I would do the same thing. But I don't want to sit on my ass being some scared wallflower."

"Sookie," Pam sighed, "we all understand that. But you need to understand the world in which you are now living, and trust that we know what we're talking about. I have known Eric for nearly two hundred years, but I have never seen him act as impulsively as he does when it comes to you. He has always been a strategist, but you blind him to reason." I didn't appreciate Pam's comments, but I had to admit that she was probably right. And this was the one context that she could probably get away with saying that.

Åsa continued. "I have already seen how protective he is of you, cousin. And believe me when I say that this is not the Eric I had known."

"Things were different between you," she argued back. "You were a vampire."

"Exactly. I was a vampire and therefore more able to defend myself. But you know all too well that Eric will not stop at anything to keep you safe, or to come after you if anything happened to you. And other vampires will use you as bait to trap him."

Sookie sighed in defeat. "Lover," I started, running my fingers down her arm. "The girls are right in saying that I will do anything to protect you. I have already killed one queen, and I am not beyond killing others. But I do not want to risk you. And believe me when I say that I will be seen as weak if my wife is left an easy target for other vampires."

"Okay, I get it." I could feel the fire rising in her again. "I won't do anything to cause you any trouble. But I just feel so goddamn helpless; I'm this weak and feeble human."

"You're not, Sookie. You're one-quarter Fae and you have a strong essential spark. You heard what Niall said, that you will have to protect me in the future. I do not doubt that he was telling the truth." I didn't like admitting any weakness, but I was also a politician, and I knew such a move would sway Sookie.

"Well I feel weak and feeble right now," she huffed. I laughed and pulled her closer to me. Her pout was quite adorable at times. She rested her head on my shoulder and I briefly nuzzled my face into her hair.

"Sook, we will make this work. But I will not compromise on your safety."

"Fine," she said turning to face me. I gave her a searing kiss, tasting the fairy on her lips and being annoyed that Pam and Åsa were in the room so I couldn't fuck her over my desk.

"We are still here," Pam snarked, and Sookie pulled back from me, but only to stick her tongue out at Pam.

I rubbed her back briefly before drawing her attention again. "Would you mind going with Pam for a while, I would like to speak with Åsa."

Sookie agreed and stood up to join Pam after planting one more kiss on my lips. Johan, who had remained quiet while being in my office, looked to his maker before she gave him leave to join the others in the bar. I trusted Pam to keep an eye on Sookie, and I was pleased that the two of them were now getting along. Pam had not been a fan of Sookie's at first, and I knew that Sookie had been very wary of her. But they had formed a friendship off the back of that, and Sookie was by far Pam's favourite human – which was quite an accolade from Pam.

"I had no idea," Åsa said in our native language as soon as we were alone.

"I know. There is no reason why you would have known. But tell me what you feel towards her."

I was closely monitoring the bond for any signs of deceit from my child. "I won't deny that I am jealous of the closeness you have with her. But she is my kin, and cannot say that I ever expected to meet anyone who was a relative, let alone such a close one as she is. For obvious reasons I have not heard of my Fae family since I was turned, so it surprised me that Niall was able to make the connection."

"Niall is a wily old fox," I informed her, but it was something she knew all too well herself. "It is no coincidence that he has been the ruler of the Fae for so many centuries, and it is knowledge like this that has kept him in power. Niall knows when it's best to make allies and when to fight against his enemies. He obviously knows that Sookie will be powerful, and I don't doubt that this somehow involves you."

She nodded in agreement. "I get that feeling as well. And I can't help but feel there was something that led me to come to see you now other than the fact that Russell called me. I don't like feeling like there are forces I can't control, but it does seem that way."

"I will agree with that," I informed her. I had never been a fan of fate or foreknowledge, as I didn't like the thought of my destiny being out of my control. "Åsa," I said, my tone serious. "I wanted to talk to you about your child."

She let out an unnecessary sigh. "I had a feeling you would."

"He is very different to Mathieu. In what I knew of Mathieu, I could see why you wanted to change him. I do not understand the appeal of Johan." Other than him looking like me, I didn't say.

Åsa looked down at her hands briefly before meeting my eyes again. "I didn't intend on turning him. And you're right in saying that he is probably not vampire material. In fact, after what happened regarding my turning of Mathieu, I had vowed not to make another child."

"Why did you?"

"Out of guilt."

"Explain."

"I accidentally drained him." I raised an eyebrow, surprised at what she was telling me. Åsa had always been a controlled vampire, so I did not know how she could slip up like that. "I will admit that this is to do with you." She didn't meet my eyes. "You can see the similarity between you … and when I met him I almost had to do a double take. Mathieu and I … we hadn't been together for around twenty years at that time, and it made me think more of you. What I threw away…"

She trailed off. This was certainly difficult for both of us, and I remembered all too well the pain that she caused me when she chose to turn Mathieu and leave me. We had been happy together, wandering around Europe and living in the shadows. Of course, I had to wonder whether we would still be together now had she not chosen to become a maker. Whether we would both have moved to the Americas.

"What happened?" I prompted her, pulling her from her own reminiscing. She looked up and met my eyes. I could see a faint rim of pink around her eyes.

"I followed him. He went to a bar with some friends and I met him there. I glamoured him and led him to an alleyway." She paused as a red tear trailed down her cheek. "I wanted him to be you. And when I bit him, I couldn't stop feeding. He struggled at first, but I started to hear his heart slowing, and I knew that I had drunk too much. I guess I panicked. I bit into my own wrist in the hope of just healing him enough so that I could drop him off at a hospital, but he had been too far gone. I couldn't leave him; I had to take responsibility."

"You did the right think in not abandoning him."

She gave a half-smile. "I know. But maybe I should have staked him. He is unruly and disobedient. Maybe it because I didn't give him enough of my own blood to make the change."

"That has been known," I mused.

"Anyway, it is done now. I have to rule Johan with a firm hand, and I suspect that he will not live to an old age as he can hot-headed and ignorant. In fact, once vampires have made themselves known to humans, I do not doubt that he will do something to get himself killed."

She didn't seem particularly upset about this. "Just be careful this does not reflect poorly on you."

"My Queen knows what he is like. In fact, I wouldn't be too surprised if she staked him herself."

"You are going back to Sweden then?" she hadn't told me what her plans were.

"I have made no definite plans and the Queen will call me to her if she needs to. Things are surprisingly peaceful in Sweden at the moment." She gave me a wry smile, and I thought back to some of the chaos the two of us caused when we were last together.

"I would like to take Sookie to my homeland when it is safe to do so."

"You really are happy with her," Åsa observed.

I could not help but smile. "Yes, I am. Are you okay with that?" I didn't want to hurt Åsa any more than necessary, particularly as she had just told me about the circumstances regarding her turning her child.

"I didn't think I would be, but I am. I can tell she is wary of me, and she is probably right to be. But I like her and she is good for you. That she is of my kin is only a bonus, and I wish to get to know her and help her if I can."

"You still have the abilities?"

"I practice in private. Not even Mathieu knows what I am able to do, but I will teach her."

Vampires were often born with abilities, one of mine being the ability to fly, something that Åsa had inherited from me. But her ability to manipulate fire was one that came from her Fae heritage, as no known vampires were known to be able to do so. And as fire is one thing that can kill us, it would be a coveted gift. Either that, or she would have been killed for it, as she'd be seen as a danger to others. If Sookie had that ability, it would be a good form of defence for her.

"Thank you. And you know that I will tell her what you've told me?" I wasn't going to keep this from Sookie.

"I understand. And if you ever need anything else, just let me know. I will help her." I could feel her absolute sincerity.

"Hungry?" I asked her, standing up from behind my desk.

"I could eat," she said with a fangy smile. I showed her out of my office and back into the main bar of the club where Sookie and Pam were sat in a booth together.

.

**Sookie**

"Eric doesn't half know how to pick them," Pam commented when we were alone in a booth together and I was stirring my gin and tonic with my straw.

"I don't think anyone could have predicted that I'd turn out to be related to her," I argued.

"True, but he obviously has a thing for part-Fae humans. It makes me feel quite privileged that he didn't go for me for the quality of my blood."

"Maybe that's the reason you and him didn't last!" I shot back.

"Are you saying that he's only with you because of the delicate yet addictive taste of your blood?" she asked with a smile.

"No," I defended, knowing that it wasn't the case.

"And anyway, Eric doesn't contain the essential equipment I desire." She made a point of staring at my chest.

"You don't know what you're missing out on."

"Oh Sookie, I do. And out of all the males I have slept with, Eric is by far the best. And biggest. And I know what skills he has with that weapon of his, but I still prefer the soft curves of the female form." She licked her lips as she stared at me.

"Snap out of it, will you. Much as I love your snarky humour, I'm afraid you do nothing for me."

"Shame. Although I don't expect that Eric would be willing to share, even with me."

We were quiet for a few moments, and I followed Pam's gaze to where Johan was talking to some brunette at the bar.

"There's something not quite right with him," I whispered, knowing that Pam would be able to hear me. She turned back to face me.

"You are very perceptive. But you're right. I'd almost go as far as to say that his turning didn't quite go to plan. There are known cases where a human has been too close to death, or they weren't given enough blood." She smiled for a moment. "You should Bubba. I think you'd like him. He's very simple. And I mean _very_ simple." She really stressed the 'very'. "And he has a thing for cat blood."

"Ew!" I said, not liking the thought of a vampire feeding from an animal. Somehow, drinking human blood seemed more acceptable. "What happened to him?"

"He was in the morgue when a vampire found him and realised there was still a faint trace of life in him and he was brought across. You'd know him as the King, I believe."

"A vampire king?"

She laughed at me. "No, The King. You know, All Shook Up? Blue Suede Shoes?"

"Elvis?" I asked disbelievingly.

"Just don't call him that, he'll go off on one if you call him anything other than Bubba."

"Wow. I guess that explains the sightings."

"Apparently so. But as I said, he's not the smartest cookie on the shelf."

"In the jar."

"What?"

"You mean, not the smartest cookie in the jar."

"Whatever," she snarked.

Pam told me more about Elvis, I mean Bubba, along with a few other famous figures that had apparently been turned … John F. Kennedy, Jim Henderson, River Phoenix. I wasn't entirely sure whether she was being truthful with me or not, and I intended to ask Eric later. But I went along with her for the time being.

Not before too long, Eric and Åsa came out of his office and joined us, leaving Johan at the bar with the female he was eyeing up. I could see that Åsa was keeping a close eye on him, and Eric seemed to be paying him a little closer attention than before. I wondered whether they had been speaking about Johan.

The four of us talked for a while, and it was arranged that in a few nights time, I would meet Åsa in an empty warehouse that Eric owned so we could see whether I had any Fire Fae abilities that she could teach me how to use.

When the club closed, Eric took me to his home, we had a round of hugely enjoyable sex and I went to sleep while he worked on until daylight approached. It was a routine we had settled into, and although I didn't spend every night at Eric's house, I did miss him on the occasions that we weren't together.

I was woken the next morning, far too early, by my cell phone ringing incessantly. I looked at the time and saw that it was only eight in the morning, and therefore only an hour after sunrise. I picked up my phone to see that it was Claudine calling me, and I pressed the green accept button on the screen.

"Hi Claudine," I said sleepily.

"_Sorry to call you so early, but I wanted to get you as close to sunrise as I could. Can we meet up?"_

"Now?

"_The sooner the better."_

"Give me half an hour, I'll meet you in the usual place."

I dragged myself out of bed, giving Eric a kiss and pat on the backside as I passed and went to the luxurious bathroom to brush my teeth and splash some water on my face. I knew I'd have to shower after seeing Claudine, so I decided to leave that for later. After I finished my more human tasks, I changed into some comfy jeans and a long-sleeve top, tied my hair back in a knot and went up to the kitchen.

After a breakfast of porridge, I went to meet Claudine in our usual place. Eric had kindly converted an outbuilding, which was on his land, to a training room for us, as he didn't want a fairy in his house, and he also knew what too much of her scent would do to him. When I got there, Claudine was already waiting for me. She was dressed as impeccably as ever in skinny jeans and a black designer top with a large silver belt over her hips.

"Hey Claudine, what's so urgent?"

"I'm sorry to wake you Sookie, but Niall called me and asked me to see you. He wants me to train you as often as we can."

"I kind of got that impression yesterday," I told her.

"He also wants you to take my blood."

"Excuse me?"

I understood the whole thing with taking Eric's blood. First, it was so he could know whether I was telling him the truth, then it was more of an enjoyable sex thing. But I didn't see the significance of taking Claudine's blood.

"My blood will enhance your Fae abilities. A kick in the right direction, so to speak."

"Okay…" I wasn't convinced.

"Niall won't take no for an answer. But it's also why I needed to come here this morning. Your vampire will be able to smell it in you, and the longer between you taking my blood and seeing him, the better." I certainly understood that.

"What will it do?"

"It will increase your Fae essence, give you better control of the powers you have and bring any new ones to the surface."

"Will I be able to mask my scent?" I asked her, remembering what Åsa had told me.

"It's possible, although that is not something I am able to do myself. I can certainly teach you the basics, however, and you can test it out on your vampire."

I didn't see any harm in agreeing to this. "How do we do this?"

Claudine produced a small glass from somewhere, and using a silver blade, she cut down her wrist and bled into the vessel. When she'd given the prescribed amount, she licked her own wrist and handed me the glass. Not wanting to change my mind, I quickly brought it to my lips and swallowed her warm blood in one go.

I had to admit that the heat of her blood was the worst thing, as I was used to cool vampire blood, but the taste was actually very pleasant.

"I'll take the glass away, I wouldn't want the vampire to come across it."

"Sure."

"How do you feel?"

"Powerful," I answered. And I did. I could feel an energy of sorts surrounding me, and I was aware of the air molecules in the room.

"Good. Let's try what you already know."

Over the months through working with Claudine, I had honed my skills so that I could easily manipulate the air around me. I was able to easily create a force field around myself that could stop objects and people in their tracks, and I was also able to send shockwaves and throw people from me.

In trying this after my ingestion of fairy blood, I realised that it was much easier than before, and certainly didn't require as much concentration.

"Will this be permanent, or I am just this good because I have just had your blood?"

"It will pretty much be permanent, although Niall has told me to give you more blood next week. It may be wise to not tell your vampire that." She gave me a knowing look. "Now, I want to see if you can teleport. What I need you do is compel yourself to the other side of the room. Now!"

I had to admit that I wasn't convinced, but I did what Claudine told me to do, and before I knew it I was standing on the other side of the outbuilding.

"Wow!" I laughed, and Claudine smiled at me.

We practiced more with further distances and through objects such as walls. I was nowhere near as powerful as Claudine, but I would probably have the ability to get myself out of trouble if I needed to.

She taught me some other tricks such as increased speed – which Eric's blood also helped me with – and the ability to teleport quickly in a fight situation. She also told me the theory behind masking my scent, and it was something I intended to practice later with Eric's keen nose being my guide.

I'd pretty much spent the whole day with Claudine, and I was fairly exhausted from using up so much energy. After showering myself in one of the upstairs bathrooms, I made myself a huge meal of steak, vegetables and potatoes, and devoured the lot in one go. Then, feeling sleepy, I went to join Eric downstairs and curled myself into his body.

But I didn't realise how much of a mistake this was, and I woke to a ravenous and horny vampire pinning me painfully into the bed.

His weight was fully on my arms, and I yelped in pain, but Eric was not himself. His eyes were black and intense. I tried to scream, but that only seemed to excite him further, his legs moving to pin my flailing limbs into the mattress.

I had never been truly scared of Eric before, not to this extent, but I was here. And for some reason my fear only seemed to excite him, his feelings of lust flooding our bond along with an intense hunger and a need to dominate and own me.

I knew I had made a mistake in crawling into bed with him, and all I could hope was that it wouldn't be the last thing I did.

* * *

***hides***

**And I'm not able to update until the end of June as I'm going on holiday now to a peaceful cottage in Scotland for a couple of weeks.**

**But what do you think – do you still not trust Åsa? Is Eric a danger to Sookie in his fairy-blood haze? Will he hurt her?**

**I'll be updating again at the end of June, so hope you all have a great month, and role on True Blood Series 4 – cannot wait!**


	18. Chapter 18

**So thanks for being patient – here's the next chapter. And a day earlier than anticipated as Hubs and I drove 700 miles today!**

**I had a great time in a small cottage on the Isle of Skye, but now back to reality and work :(**

* * *

_**Last time – Sookie's POV**_

_I'd pretty much spent the whole day with Claudine, and I was fairly exhausted from using up so much energy. After showering myself in one of the upstairs bathrooms, I made myself a huge meal of steak, vegetables and potatoes, and devoured the lot in one go. Then, feeling sleepy, I went to join Eric downstairs and curled myself into his body._

_But I didn't realise how much of a mistake this was, and I woke to a ravenous and horny vampire pinning me painfully into the bed._

_His weight was fully on my arms, and I yelped in pain, but Eric was not himself. His eyes were black and intense. I tried to scream, but that only seemed to excite him further, his legs moving to pin my flailing limbs into the mattress._

_I had never been truly scared of Eric before, not to this extent, but I was here. And for some reason my fear only seemed to excite him, his feelings of lust flooding our bond along with an intense hunger and a need to dominate and own me._

_I knew I had made a mistake in crawling into bed with him, and all I could hope was that it wouldn't be the last thing I did. _

* * *

**Eric**

Fairy. There was a fairy in my bed.

On instinct, I pinned it to the bed, using all of my weight from stopping the tricky creature from escaping. The fairy was scared and screaming, but it was irrelevant. I wanted it and I was going to have it. The softness of its body told me it was a female, and I desperately wanted to fuck her. Now.

I was intoxicated by the scent of her delicious blood. Something in the back of my mind told me that she smelled familiar, and I studied her face to see a beautiful and recognisable blonde fairy. But I had to have her. To bite her. To fuck her. To drain her.

I pinned her legs into the bed with my own, licked harshly at her delicious tears she was shedding and moved my nose to her neck, enjoying the scent of her blood before I bit.

"Eric! Stop!" I heard her scream, but I only smiled against her neck. My fangs were itching to sink into her neck and I did so, biting savagely into the fairy and rubbing my rock-hard erection against her as I took large mouthfuls of her heavenly blood.

But then she was gone.

I looked around the room for her, trusting my nose to try to find her. But although the residual smell of fairy was in the room, all I could really smell was my wife.

Sookie.

Had it been her? Was Sookie the fairy I had pinned to the bed only moments away from raping and draining? I checked the bond and I could feel her fear, panic and distress. And it was instantly matched by my own. What had I done? How could I do that to her? It had been suggested that an increase in her powers would make her more fairy-like: was this the upshot?

I checked the bond once more and felt her pain. I had hurt her from both my bite and the way I held her, and worse, she was scared of me.

I sent her my sorrow and love in the hope that she realised I was not myself. I wanted to go and find her to comfort her, but I wasn't sure that I trusted myself. But how did she escape like that? I had never known her be able to teleport herself, was this a new fairy trick she had learned?

A few moments later, I heard her soft footsteps and her wild heartbeat approaching the outer door to my sleeping chamber. She entered the code, closing the door behind her and approached the inner door. I wasn't sure how much I could trust myself, so I pinned myself to the far wall and waited for her to enter the access code.

The door slowly opened and she tentatively peered around the room, her eyes stopping on me when she met mine.

"Stay there, Sookie," I said gently, not trusting myself were she to approach me. I could smell her blood again, and I saw that her neck was badly damaged from where I had bitten her. I could see that her blood was still wet on her neck, and the wound was gently still spilling a little of her intoxicating life force.

It took everything I had to keep myself under control and meet her eyes. When I did, I felt sorrow and guilt in our bond, but it wasn't just coming from me.

"I'm sorry, Eric," she started, looking down at her hands and fidgeting nervously on the spot.

"Why? Sookie, I attacked you. If you hadn't teleported away I would have killed you." She flinched when I said that, but I had to be honest with her. "Sookie, I would have really hurt you. I am so sorry."

She pushed her love towards me, and, surprisingly, her trust. "Eric, I don't believe that you would have killed me."

I didn't know enough about our bond to know whether I would have been able to or not, but nevertheless I had hurt her. "Sookie, your neck has been savagely bitten, and I can see the bruises forming on your body." She was only wearing a tiny yellow nightdress that didn't exactly cover her body, but did show the marks from where I had held her. I was actually surprised at how much it hurt me that I had injured her in such a way.

"I'm fine," she said taking a step closer to me.

"Don't," I said holding up my hand and not being able to trust myself. "You are still bleeding, and I cannot face hurting you further."

"Eric, this is my fault…"

"No, it's…" I started to protest but she cut me off.

"It is. I was stupid." I stayed quiet to let her explain; it did seem odd that she suddenly smelt so much more like fairy and now had the ability to teleport herself away from me. "Claudine called me early this morning, and I have spent the whole day with her. I did shower thoroughly after she left, but I'm guessing you can smell her blood in me."

That shocked me. "What?"

"Niall had asked Claudine to give me her blood as a way to kick start my Fae abilities and give me more power. I drank fairy blood, Eric. And I was stupid enough to climb into bed with a vampire. So believe me when I say that it was my fault." She gave me a sorrowful smile, and I could feel that she was blaming herself for this.

Fucking Niall. This wasn't Sookie's fault, but it most certainly was his. He would have known perfectly well what would happen if Sookie were to drink pure fairy blood. And I didn't doubt that this was some kind of test for me. But to risk Sookie's life for this was not acceptable.

"Eric, please forgive me?"

I focused on Sookie, seeing fresh tears fall from her eyes. She was feeling hugely guilty and had assumed I was angry with her. I wanted nothing more than to take her into my arms and comfort her, but that was not a viable option.

"Sookie, I am not angry with you. This is not your fault, do you hear me? I am angry that Niall has allowed this without telling me. I could have killed you, Sookie, and it would have been on his head. He would have known perfectly well what would happen if you drank Claudine's blood, yet he allowed it anyway."

"Why?"

"Maybe he was testing me … I do not know. But I will find out. And he will be the only fairy I intend to drain."

Sookie smiled. "I'm not sure that that's a good idea."

"Oh, it's a great idea, just unfortunately not a practical solution."

She rolled her eyes. "Look, um, I have something I'd like to try that may help this situation."

"Okay?" I wasn't sure where she was going with this.

"Åsa had mentioned to me that it would be a good idea to learn how to mask my scent, and I asked Claudine about that. It's not something she can do herself, but she taught me the theory behind it. If I can give it a go, we maybe alright?" she had a hopeful look on her face, and I could feel how much she wanted to make this better.

"Possibly, but right now you are still bleeding and you have blood down your neck and shoulders." It was hard to focus on anything but that blood.

"Of course, I'm sorry." I was about to chastise her for saying sorry again, but she continued. "I guess I should go shower again and put a band aid on the wound."

"That will not be enough. I need to heal you." She looked nervous at the thought of me getting too close to her again. I walked into the bathroom, looked around and found a clean glass by the sink that Sookie sometimes used for water during the night. I took it into the bedroom, but into my wrist and filled the glass halfway with my blood. Not daring to take a breath, I took a couple of steps forward and placed it on the wooden end of the bed before resuming my position on the wall.

"You want me to drink that?"

"Yes. Although first you should apply some blood direct onto your wound to heal it. I will go into the bathroom so I do not hurt you."

She nodded her agreement, and I shut myself in the bathroom. I listened as her heartbeat got closer and heard her drink the blood. She called my name once she was safely back over the other side of the room, and I resumed my position.

"Thank you, I feel better."

She hadn't admitted to me how badly I had hurt her, but I knew that I had probably done some severe damage to her when I pinned her to the bed in the way I did. "I am sorry, Sookie. I hate the thought of you being hurt, and that it was me who did so pains me."

"I understand, Eric. And believe me when I say that I should have known better. I'm going to go and take another shower, but I'll be back as I want to try this."

I agreed with her, and she left the room while I also showered and changed, and then tried to focus on a few emails. I was going to have to stay away from Sookie for a few days until the fairy blood had been diluted enough by her own. But this would have a permanent effect on her scent, and I hoped that she did possess Niall's ability to mask her scent as it wouldn't be just me who would be attracted to her. And I had more control around her than most of my kind.

Around half an hour later, Sookie knocked gently on the inner door of my chamber and entered wearing a pair of jeans and a black long-sleeve t-shirt that hugged her curves deliciously. I could see that her neck was fully healed, but I was unable to see whether there was any residual damage to her body. The fact that she had chosen to cover herself up made me think that there probably was.

"I'm fine, Eric," she told me, sensing my guilt.

"I do not believe that you are, Sookie." She had tried to hide it, but I could tell that she was not completely telling me the truth. "I do not want you to lie to me to spare my feelings. I should not have hurt you, and I deserve your anger."

"You don't. You said earlier that this was Niall's doing, and I will blame him and not you." She was certainly resolute. "But I want to try this, so please tell me if it works."

Her face was one of concentration as she obviously thought through what the fairy had told her, and then, suddenly, she no longer smelled of Fae. She still had her own delicious smell, albeit dampened down as well, but she no longer had the overpowering smell of her fairy blood.

"Is it working?"

"Yes." She smiled and bravely took a few steps forward.

"Sookie…" I warned, the taste of her blood still clear in my mind and my fangs throbbed as I thought about feeding from her. She had tasted delicious, and I easily would have drained every last drop from her given the chance. She'd still had her own, distinct taste, yet better and more Fae-like.

"I trust you."

She closed the distance between us and stood just over reaching distance from me. "How difficult is it to maintain?"

"It's not that bad. I just think of it in the same way that I do my shields."

"But your shields sometimes drop," I reminded her.

"They do, but with your blood I have been able to keep hold of them much better than I used to be able to. And I also get that this shield will be life or death. I need to be able to do this, but I also need you, and I don't like the thought of you keeping your distance from me."

She stepped further forward and held her hand out to me. I took it, placing a soft kiss on the back of her hand. "I want to tell you to keep your distance from me until your blood had diluted the fairy blood, but I can't allow any other vampires near you, and I will not entrust you to weres alone."

"I am safest with you," she told me, placing her hand on my chest. "And for the record, I still don't believe you would have killed me."

"You have better faith in me than I do," I told her, placing a kiss on the top of her head. I still craved her blood, and much more than I usually did, but I was able to control myself enough to not act on my impulse.

"I have something I wish you to wear." I went to the cabinet and I produced a square jewellery box and presented it to her. "Open it and put it on. I'm going to eat so I'm not so tempted to feed from you."

I smiled at her, before going to my office and heating up two bags of the donor blood I kept in their for emergencies. It was more than I usually ate, but I wanted to be full, and it would last me a few days. After draining the bags, I joined Sookie back in the bedroom.

"I'm not wearing this," she told me stubbornly, holding the choker necklace in her right hand. "It's silver, isn't it?"

"Yes. And you will wear it." I raised an eyebrow, but she simply scowled at me. "It is for your own safety. If your shields slip I need to be sure that I am not going to drain you, and the burn of silver should be enough to distract me for you to get away from me." I wasn't sure if it would be, but it was an idea, and the best I had. "I also don't think it's wise for you to be with me when I wake. It is the time when I am most instinctual, as you discovered this morning, and if I sense prey, then I will attack. Please wear it."

"Why do you even have a silver choker?" She ran the necklace between her fingers before reluctantly placing it around her neck.

"For your safety."

"My safety?"

"I have to be prepared for every eventuality, and I feared that if your blood became to intensely fairy I would try to drain you. So I bought you a pure silver choker necklace just in case."

"I don't want to hurt you."

"Neither do I."

She sighed and came up closer to me. "I can still kiss you though?"

My fangs slid down. "Of course."

I sank down onto the bed and pulled her into my arms, being careful of her necklace, and held her. "So you may have noticed that I was able to teleport," she said after ten minutes or so.

"I did notice that," I said with a knowing smile. "You obviously had a productive day with the fairy."

"I did. And I should probably say that apparently Niall wants me to have more of Claudine's blood next week. But if you don't think it's a good idea, then I won't."

"I will think about that. In many senses I can understand the reasons behind Niall wanting to increase your abilities, but I do not like him going behind my back and risking your life with it." I was pleased she was at least deferring to me on such a decision. "I plan on speaking to the fairy. Will you being seeing more of Claudine?"

"Yes. She wants to continue to work with me."

"I think it is a good idea for you to know how to master your abilities, but I do not trust the fairies. They may be your kin, but I am certain they have their own agenda and I will find out what it is."

"I suppose sex is off the agenda?" Sookie asked, much to my surprise a few moments later.

"I am afraid so, my insatiable little Fae." I wanted nothing more than to bury myself inside her, but I could not trust myself not to bite her. I could smell her desire, and I was shocked that even though I had attacked her earlier on in the evening, she still wanted me in that way. I was hard for her, and I groaned aloud when she ran her small hand over the bulge in my jeans.

"Maybe I can help you out with this."

I watched her as she carefully pulled my painfully hard cock out of my jeans and started stroking me. She lowered her mouth and placed a soft kiss on the head, before widening her lips and taking me inside her hot mouth.

"Sookie," I warned, yet she continued nonetheless. She was careful of the silver around her neck, but worked me rhythmically and with perfect skill. I was almost embarrassed at how quickly she brought my orgasm out from me, and she swallowed down all I had to offer. I was desperate to return the pleasure, but I wasn't sure I could without biting her. And although she could mask her scent, I knew all too well how good her blood tasted, and it was taking all of my willpower to not devour her.

"It's okay, Eric. You normally give me more than enough orgasms that I have had a few spare. You don't need to reciprocate. And anyway, I can take pleasure from your pleasure." I could tell that she was being absolutely truthful, and I pulled her too me as close as possible considering the silver on her neck.

"I am sorry, Sookie."

"I know. But it was also my own fault for not questioning why Niall wanted me to have Claudine's blood, and for not realising how dangerous it was to climb in bed with a sleeping vampire."

I sighed. "You are a truly remarkable woman, Sookie Stackhouse."

I spent the next few nights in the house with Sookie, although she kept a distance from me at my own request. However, I hated it. I wanted her next to me, I wanted to constantly touch her or fuck and bite her whenever I wanted. And I knew she was equally as annoyed by the circumstance. In fact, it was the reason that neither one of us wanted her to take any more of the fairy's blood as we didn't want to keep our hands off each other.

I had tried to contact Niall that first night, and again the night after that, but he was ignoring my calls and I had no other ways of contacting him since he was no doubt in Faery. And that just pissed me off further. I wasn't going to let that fucker dictate what happened between Sookie and I, and I did not appreciate his interference.

Three nights later, when Sookie's scent had returned to nearly normal and I was able to safely fuck her and bite her without risk of accidental draining, we met up with Åsa at the warehouse I often used for more elaborate torture sessions. Åsa would be able to smell the blood in the air, but I was hoping that Sookie would be oblivious to exactly what went on there.

Åsa was already waiting for us when Sookie and I arrived at the warehouse, and she had seemingly set up a few targets around the room, along with various lit candles. She greeted us both with a nod before her eyes snapped to Sookie and her fangs descended. I instinctively growled at my child and pushed Sookie behind me.

"I won't hurt her," Åsa snapped at me. "But she smells more of Fae. What has happened? Is this why you have been MIA for days?"

Sookie stepped out from behind me. "You can tell?"

"Sookie, you smell delicious, better than before. Most vampires probably wouldn't be able to tell that it is fairy you smell off, but as I am part-Fae myself I can notice it easier in others."

"I have worked on the ability to mask my scent," Sookie informed her, and with that, she dampened her scent and walked slowly towards Åsa.

Åsa smiled. "You have, and you will need to do that almost constantly." Åsa moved even closer, running her nose along Sookie's neck before stepping back. "But your blood smells different."

Sookie turned and looked to me, and I nodded that it was okay to tell her. "My cousin Claudine gave me some of her blood to improve my Fae abilities."

Åsa raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Interesting. Fairies are often considered more jealous of their blood than vampires are. I take it this was on the Prince's orders?"

"Of course," I snapped.

"This is dangerous, Eric. Yes, she will be aided by pure fairy blood, but she is living amongst vampires."

"I know," I growled.

Åsa could sense that something had already happened. "It may be a good idea for you to make sure you feed from her daily, even if it's just a small amount as that will desensitize you to her potency." I didn't normally like being told what to do by a child, but Åsa did know more when it came to the Fae, and I was willing to listen to her.

And she certainly had a point, although there weren't too many days that I didn't feed from her considering I found it almost impossible to keep my hands off her. Sookie gave me a knowing look and turned back to Åsa.

"So, what's the plan?"

"I was going to teach you to try to harness your Fae abilities, however now that you have had an injection of fairy blood, this shouldn't be so hard."

I kept a safe distance from the pair of them as I watched Åsa teaching Sookie how to manipulate a flame on a lit candle. It took her a couple of goes, but she listened carefully to what Åsa had to say and did as instructed. Not within too long, Sookie was able to manipulate the flame and hold it in the air as a fireball. Next, Åsa taught her to move the fire around and essentially throw a fireball to use as a weapon. Again, it didn't take too long for Sookie to be proficient enough to master the skill. Åsa also showed her some of the more advanced abilities that she was able to do, things that I had never even seen her do before.

After around five hours of training with Åsa, I could feel Sookie's tiredness and I called an end to the session. Of course Sookie wanted to continue, but Åsa promised we could all train further the next night, and I drove Sookie home. She had been much more tired than she let on, and fell asleep in the car almost instantly. As soon as we were back at the house I ran a bath for the pair of us, washed my tired wife and climbed into bed with her before she fell asleep in my arms.

As soon as she was asleep, I went to my office to work for the rest of the night. I had to admit that there was more to being a king than I had thought. My in-box was constantly full of emails from the sheriffs in my kingdom, the representatives of monarchs from other states and other Supes who wanted something or other from me. It made me realise why I hadn't done this before, but I had my reasons this time, and seeing a still naked Sookie in my bed only proved that.

"Hey," Sookie said as a slipped into bed with her just before dawn. "How long until the sun rises?"

"Half an hour or so."

She gave me a wicked grin. "I want you."

She climbed on top of me and started biting at my nipples in the way she knew I loved. I grabbed her ass and moaned, thrusting up against her centre as she straddled me. I flipped us over, kissing down her body and palming her breasts until my face was at her sex. I flicked her clit with my tongue and pushed a long finger inside her, causing her to buck of the bed.

As I could feel dawn approaching, I quickly brought her to orgasm, not teasing her as I normally did, and ploughed myself deep inside her. She was warm and wet and her moans were driving me crazy as I thrusted into her. She started biting at my neck, and on her third attempt she broke the skin and started drinking from me. I couldn't deny myself any longer, and bit into the soft skin of her shoulder as we both came at the same time.

She smiled when I rolled off her and gave me a sweet kiss on the lips. "I love you," she said before falling back to sleep.

"I love you too," I whispered to her sleeping form, before pulling her to my chest and wrapping my body around her.

Except that when I woke the next evening, Sookie was not in my bed. Or in my room, and even when she was full of fairy blood, she'd at least come into my room when I woke. My instincts were all on alert, and I checked the bond to see where else in the house she was, but she wasn't in the house. In fact, I wasn't sure that she was in the State.

I pushed further into the bond and felt pain and fear from her, and I roared loudly at the thought of someone having taken her. I wanted nothing more than to fly from the room and rip to pieces whoever had her, but it was still fifty-three minutes until the sun would set, and burning myself wasn't going to help matters. I needed to think logically.

I picked up my phone from my bedside table and flicked through the new messages I'd had during the day. There were a few from my day man, and one from the lawyer Cataliades, but the one from Amelia caught my attention. It said, simply, 'Call me re Sookie.'

"Speak," I ordered as soon as the phone connected to the witch.

"_She's been taken."_

"I know. Tell me who by!" I demanded. "Tell me how you know this?" I had trusted the witch, but I wasn't beyond killing her if I had to.

"_I don't know who by. But I was talking to her on the phone around nine this morning when there was a knock at her front door. I told her to using her telepathy to sense who was out there. She said there were around thirty or forty weres surrounding the house, along with other beings."_

"She should not have left the house," I snapped.

"_I know. And I told her that, but someone shouted something through the door that I didn't catch, and Sookie went to them. I don't know what happened, Eric. She put the phone in her pocket, and I heard her scream something about Åsa. She was pleading with the weres to let her go, but then she had been taken and the phone was disconnected."_

My answer was simply a growl, and it took a lot of effort to not crush the phone in my hand.

"_I was in New Orleans at the time, and I called Tray and Alcide, along with my mentor Octavia Fant. We're in Shreveport now."_

"Get here for first dark."

I disconnected from the witch and called the packmaster of the Shreveport pack, Colonel Flood. He too agreed to send weres to meet me at first dark, and I sent a message to my pilot to ready my plain for take-off. I didn't know yet where we were going, but from the distance I felt on the bond, I knew it would be a couple of hour's journey. I could also sense that Åsa too was some distance away, although I couldn't be sure whether it was a good or bad thing that her and Sookie may be together.

My next task was to check the security videos. Every inch of my house and grounds were under video surveillance, and I rewound to eight in the morning. I saw the weres arrive and surround the perimeter of the house, and watched as they killed the wolves I had on guard duty. I noticed an oddity that two of the weres appeared to be chanting, and after five minutes they smiled and the weres were able to breach the outer rim of my property, the magical wards having been undone.

The inside cameras showed my beautiful wife talking on the phone and then stopping when she heard the bang on the door. I could see her fear, as she no doubt counted the weres outside the house. I found myself yelling at the screen for her to just come into the protected lower level with me. There, no one would have been able to take her. I increased the volume on the cameras at the front door of the house, and watched what was happening.

"Come out, Miss Stackhouse," one of the weres shouted. "We have the King's child here, and if you don't come out she'll be meeting the sun."

I saw the look of panic on Sookie's face, and she shoved her phone into the back pocket of her jeans and opened the door, yet stood within the threshold.

"Not far enough," the ugly were shouted at her, but she didn't move.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"What do we want? You."

"I won't come with you."

"You will."

I noticed that there was a large van parked by the front steps of the house, and the back doors swung open to reveal three weres holding a nearly naked Åsa in their arms. I growled at the sight of them, and Sookie gasped on the video and begged them to let her go. Åsa was steaming from being too close to the daylight, only protected by the small silk nightdress she was wearing, and Sookie took a step forward.

But as soon as she had done, she was seized by two weres who were hidden from her view either side of the door, and immediately shackled. Sookie seemed to scream in pain, and I realised what they were holding her with. Iron.

These weres, whoever they were, knew that Sookie was part-fairy and therefore knew how to contain her. Of course, that didn't stop her struggling against them and shouting expletives, but they dragged her to the van and threw her in the back with Åsa. With that, all weres climbed into various vehicles and left.

I stopped the video and tried to calm myself. I noticed blood on the keyboard and realised that I had been shedding tears as I watched them. I was going to save my wife and my child.

My phone rang in my hand, and I answered it to Pam.

"Master?" she could no doubt feel my grief when she woke.

"Sookie and Åsa have been taken. Be here as soon as you can, and let all the other sheriffs know that we are under attack. I do not yet know who, but they cannot trust anyone."

"Will do."

I sank down into the chair and buried my head in my hands. I should have known something like this would spoil the peace. Yet somehow whoever had taken Sookie and Åsa knew that Sookie was part-Fae. And that limited it to being her own kin – Niall and Claudine. Or Johan.

I growled at the thought of Johan. Something told me this was partly his doing, but without Åsa I had no idea how to contact the young vampire, and I didn't doubt that if I contacted the hotel the two of them were staying in he wouldn't be there. And further, why had Åsa not contained her child as she must have known what he was considering.

But I was going to find my wife and child, and whoever had taken them had better be prepared to meet their final death.

**So, Sookie has been captured along with Åsa. Who is behind it and what does it have to do with Johan?**

**I'd love to know your thoughts. Next chapter should be up in a few days.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Ok, this lengthy one is the next chapter. A lot in this one, so hope you like it.**

**Thanks again for reading and the continued reviews, alerts and favourites. It keeps me motivated, and I've loved reading your theories on who took Sookie.**

* * *

**Sookie**

I struggled against my bindings for what felt like the millionth time to try to get comfortable, but I could feel the metal burning and cutting into me, and I was unable to teleport out of the restraints. I resigned myself to feeling that I wasn't going to be able to escape, and thinking about Eric instead. I hated that he was alone, and I was so scared that something had happened to him.

When I'd been thrown into the back of the van, I'd had a heavy and itchy bag thrown over my head so I couldn't see and thick tape stuck over my mouth to prevent me from screaming for help. These guys – whoever they were – were obviously well prepared, well drilled, and knew exactly what they were doing. After a while of driving, we were taken to what sounded like an airfield, and I was manhandled out of the van before being dumped in another uncomfortable position.

I'd been right about the airfield, and after not too long I could tell that I was in fact on a plane, as I heard the engines start up and soon had to swallow with the change in air cabin pressure. I tried to listen into the thoughts of my captors, yet all were weres of some kind or other, and therefore hard to read. But they all seemed to have a sense of victory and success about them, and obviously their plan had gone as they hoped.

And now I was in the room deep inside whatever building we were in. When the plane had landed, I could feel an increase in the air temperature, indicating that we were somewhere hotter and drier than Northern Louisiana, and I'd been bundled into another van for the remainder of the journey. I wasn't blindfolded anymore, although the room was poorly lit by a few candles on the wall. I considered trying to manipulate the flames, but only seemed to be able to make them flicker, and I wasn't sure what good it would do me anyway.

I was chained up against the wall, my hands tied above my head, and my ankles were shackled together. I had no idea how much time had passed, although when Åsa started to stir of the table near me I knew that it was obviously night time, or close to night. She had silver cuffs on her wrists and ankles, and her legs were open wide. She was still only wearing the small nightdress she'd been wearing earlier and therefore quite exposed. I was glad at least that I was still in my jeans and t-shirt.

"Sookie?" Åsa asked once she was conscious.

"I'm here. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, but you shouldn't have come out of the house."

"They were going to kill you!" I was surprised that she even knew what was happening considering it was daytime.

"They'll kill me anyway, and now they have you."

I swallowed the rising bile in my throat. "Eric will get here," I said confidently. But I also knew as well as she did that this elaborate scheme was a trap for him.

"He will," she confirmed. "I have called to him as my Maker, and it feels like he is moving closer to us."

"Where are we? I can't feel Eric at all." In all honesty, it was unsettling to not feel him, and I missed the comfort of the bond.

"I don't know. And you won't be able to feel Eric at this distance, but he will be able to feel you." That made me feel a little better.

I shut my eyes and tried to calm myself. "What do we do? I can't seem to access any of my abilities."

"Iron. You're being shackled in iron, which is known to weaken the Fae. Whoever it is that has us knows you are part-Fae."

"That's not a long list."

"No, it's not. And I'm ashamed to say that I think Johan is behind this."

"Johan?" I was truly surprised; he was her child after all. "How? I mean, can't you command him to come and rescue us?"

"I wish I could. I have never had good control over him, and since we have been in this country, he has done something to block me. I stopped being able to feel him two nights ago." She sighed and I could hear the tone change in her voice. "I was too ashamed to tell Eric. I should have just staked him, and now I have gotten us both captured. I am sorry, Sookie."

"It's not your fault, Åsa." And I meant it as well.

"It's nice of you to say so."

"Hey, we need to work together to get us the hell out of here!" She lifted her head off the table as much as she could and met my eyes.

"You're right. It is likely that they know you are Fae, but they do not know everything, about what you have been doing this week."

I caught that Åsa wasn't saying everything aloud, and I assumed that we were probably under some kind of surveillance. "Okay."

"What we did yesterday … you just need to concentrate more. And also, while you're in control, you can't be hurt by it. And nor would I." I knew what she was saying. The ability of controlling fire meant I wouldn't be burned. But of course, your average vampire did not mix well with fire.

"I understand."

"Also, the iron. Sookie, you're part human – you have iron in your blood. You shouldn't be so affected by the iron. You'll have to concentrate more and it will take more effort and energy, but it shouldn't affect you that badly." I took in what she said and tried to find the strength within me. It did take more effort, but with some practice, I had that feeling of being able to control the air around me.

"I can!"

"Good. But you need to conserve your energy for now, and if it comes to it, get yourself out. Don't worry about me."

"I can't leave you here."

"Yes, you will."

Neither one of us were in much of a mood for talking, and I hoped that Åsa was strategizing some kind of plan to get us out of here, as I certainly didn't have a clue. I knew the range of my teleporting wasn't far, and I certainly didn't want to do it when I didn't know where I would be landing. I was also getting tired, hungry and thirsty, and I was really desperate for a pee.

I didn't know how long we'd been kept down there, but it had been at least a few hours since Åsa woke, but I assumed that like Eric she probably had the ability to wake before dawn. Suddenly Åsa hissed out a "someone's coming" and I held my breath in anticipation of whoever would walk through the door.

I waited for the door to open and around ten seconds later a contingent of five vampires walked into the room, three standing back from the other two who walked forward. It was obvious which one was in charge, and he was about average height, with long, straight black hair. He had an air about him, and in different circumstances, I may have said that he was good-looking. He was well dressed with a cape hanging from his shoulders to the floor and a long cane in one hand, which seemed to somehow suit him. The man to his right, I really didn't like, and all I could really describe him as was seedy or slimy, as his eyes were flicking between Åsa and me. I assumed that this was the king and his lieutenant.

"Well, well, well," the King said in what sounded like a South-American Hispanic accent. "The telepath, welcome to Nevada. I have heard a lot about you. It is nice to finally meet you."

"Heard about me from whom?" I asked, and within a split second, he was up close to me and breathing in my scent.

"The tiger. Although I can tell the information was correct in saying you are also part-Fae. I shall enjoy you very much." I shuddered as he ran his cold nose along my neck, and a finger up my arm. "And Åsa," he said, turning to her. "It's good to see you again."

"Fuck off De Castro," she spat at him. I had to admire her considering the predicament she was in.

He slowly walked up to her and ripped off the minimal clothes she was wearing, and picked up what I assumed to be a torture device. It had a leather handle with what looked like hundreds of fine threads hanging from it, threads I assumed were silver. He gently ran the device over Åsa's naked body, causing her to scream and her body to singe from the burning.

"Leave her alone!" I shouted.

"I'm fine, Sookie," she said back before anyone else spoke. I knew she was telling me to keep my temper in check.

De Castro put down the torture device and came back up to me. "You're protecting her? The woman who your husband was with for three hundred and fifty years? Do you think that she came to Louisiana just to say 'hi' to her Maker?" He ran his gloved finger along my cheek and down my jaw. "Do you really think that Eric hasn't been fucking her? A vampire such as him would never be able to resist her."

He walked slowly back to Åsa and palmed one of her breasts. I wanted to look away but I couldn't.

"Look at her, Sookie," he continued. "She's beautiful. Why wouldn't he fuck her? She's a vampire and vampires are infinitely better in bed than humans. I certainly intend to enjoy her." He squeezed her breast hard, before running his hands over the rest of her body and placing a hand between her legs. "Delicious."

"Leave her!" I shouted, tears falling from my eyes.

The King ignored me, but instead bent his head to her private parts, licked her once and then bit into her inner thigh. He took greedy gulps of her blood, and only stopped when his lieutenant warned him that he was close to draining her. He'd obviously taken a lot of Åsa's blood, meaning that she'd been weakened by him.

"Fae," he stated after licking his lips from her blood, his eyes lingering on her with a hungry gaze. "You're part-Fae as well. I have to give it to Northman; he knows how to find delicious women. I'll have to have my fun with that other child of his as well."

The vampire walked up to his lieutenant, whispering something in his ear, to which the slimy lieutenant smiled about, and then put his attention back onto me.

"You're next little girl," he said as he walked up to me. "Although I'll wait until your husband gets here before I fuck you." He grabbed my left breast through my t-shirt, squeezing hard and painfully to the extent that I knew I'd be bruised. He then stalked out of the room, with most of his guard in tow. But one vampire remained, and it was the one who had been at the king's right hand.

"My name is Victor Madden," he introduced in an accent I couldn't quite place. I hated him instantly, and I watched him as he ran his hands over Åsa while muttering to himself. "I shall enjoy you two." He turned back to me, placed his hands on my waist and a wet kiss on my neck. "I'm sure once the king tires of you, he will let me have you. And maybe once Northman is dead we will bond together, then we will be together until the day you die."

I recoiled as much as I could, but since I was against a stone wall, there wasn't much room for me.

"Why don't you leave her alone and pick on a vampire your own size," Åsa said from the other side of the small room. Victor's head snapped to her, and he appeared at her side.

"I don't think you're in a position to make demands." He took her breast into her mouth, sucking hard and drawing blood. "But I do want to have some fun with you."

I watched in horror as he started taking his clothes off, slowly stripping with his eyes fixed on me. I looked away when he started to remove his pants, but he appeared in front of me and slapped me hard across the face, giving me a split lip.

"You will watch me," he hissed before taking his place in the centre of the room. "If you don't, Miss Stackhouse, I will make this so much worse for her."

He kicked his boots off and started to shimmy out of his leather pants, stroking himself once he was free. I didn't want to watch, but I was scared of what he would do to her if I didn't. I tried to look through him rather than at him, and he came up close to me again, breathing in my scent. I wanted nothing more than to knee him in the privates, and I knew I had to do something. I couldn't let him rape her, and I knew that if we didn't get out of this, both of us would be abused.

He turned his attentions back to Åsa and walked slowly to her. "So, my beauty, where shall we start?"

.

**Eric**

"Drive faster!" I snapped at Pam. I could feel an increase in fear from both Sookie and Åsa, and I was itching to get my hands on De Castro and Madden. Pam, wisely, didn't say anything, but I could sense her annoyance.

As soon as the sun had set, I had gone upstairs to find Amelia with her mentor Octavia Fant and three other witches outside my property. I knew who Octavia was, and like most vampires I was wary of her. She was well-known as being the most powerful witch in the state, if not the country, but if she was willing to help me I wasn't going to turn her away. The local wolves had also arrived, and I asked them to scout the estate and pick up any scents they were able to.

Almost straight away, Amelia had asked for something of Sookie's such as a necklace and some of her hair. I got what she asked for, finding a platinum and diamond necklace I'd given her on Valentine's Day along with her brush, which contained many of her long blonde hairs. One of the other witches had laid a large map of the country out on the floor, and I watched them scry using the necklace, which had been wrapped in Sookie's hair. I only hoped that Åsa was with her, as she would be harder to find.

When the necklace dropped on Las Vegas I knew who had her. De Castro. I should have realised as he'd had designs of Louisiana before Sophie-Anne had been killed at my hand, and the tiger Quinn was known to have dealings with him. I was going to enjoy killing both of them. I went with Pam and Alcide – who had offered himself to help in any way he could – to my armoury where I took as many weapons as we all could carry.

Thalia had arranged the vehicles, and I was leaving her in charge of the state while we were gone. The last thing I needed was to someone to place an ambush or takeover attempt while I was gone, and all the other sheriffs were on high alert and would be reporting into Thalia if there were any problems.

Just as I was planning to leave the house, a noise outside caught my attention, and I discovered loyal weres holding a vampire captive. "She was approaching the estate," the Colonel told me.

The vampire in question, however, wasn't struggling despite the silver they were holding her in, and I recognised her as Sandy Seacrest, deputy and lieutenant of Felipe De Castro.

"What are you doing here?" I hissed, my sword out of its holster and at her throat.

"De Castro has your wife and child."

"I know, keep talking."

"I am here to help."

"Why?"

She gave me a toothy smile. "We want the same things, Viking. De Castro favours Madden and gives him more responsibility than he does me. I want them both dead."

"You wish to be Queen?"

"Yes."

I had no interest in Nevada after I killed De Castro and Madden, but I wasn't sure whether this was just part of the King's scheming. "How do I know that you're not here as part of a ploy to capture me?"

I knew she wasn't going to be able to prove this easily. "Because of this." She slowly pulled something from her purse and handed it to me. I regarded her briefly before opening it. I instantly recognised the ornate handwriting as being that of Niall Brigant's, and it showed that she too was part Fire-Fae. The question was, however, how did she know that Åsa and Sookie were both also Fire-Fae.

"And?"

"When Niall told me several centuries ago of my lineage, I took it upon myself to research my line. He had mentioned there were other vampires who were of my kin, and I intended to find them. It took much work, but I found that Åsa was my cousin. She will not be treated well at De Castro's hands, and that's not to mention what he will do to your wife, who I understand is also Fae." I was fairly sure she was being sincere, and confident enough to let her live. For now.

"We need to go," I ordered, removing my sword from her neck and ordering the weres to release her. We all climbed into the vehicles to make the short journey to the airfield where my plane was located. I intended fully on keeping a close eye on Sandy, but I understood her reasoning and she didn't seem to know that Sookie, too, was her kin.

I was glad for once that Sophie-Anne had been so elaborate in her tastes, as the private plane she had owned was a Boeing 737, rather than the usual small light aircraft, and I had not yet got around to selling it. Now, I was grateful that it meant we could all travel on it. Sandy explained further on the flight to Las Vegas about De Castro's defences and where it was likely Sookie and Åsa would be held.

I had felt Åsa's call to me, just as I had felt Sookie's fear, and as we got closer to Nevada the feeling only intensified. Sandy told me what I already knew, that this was a trap, but I also knew well enough that it was a way into the lion's cage, and I had some tricks of my own. De Castro would only get one chance to make this mistake.

When we'd been in the air for an hour, Amelia called me over to where the five witches were sitting.

"Mr Northman," Octavia started, "do you know of necromancy?"

I felt my blood run a little colder. I did know of necromancy, but like most vampires I preferred to believe that it couldn't be done. "The controlling and conjuring of the dead, yes." This was one of the many reasons that I did not trust witches.

"Well, you will know that it is a useful tool to use against a vampire."

I wasn't sure I liked where this was going. "How?"

"I can take control of your enemy, use him as my puppet, if you will."

"You're able to do that?"

"We five can. I understand your scepticism, Mr Northman, but for it to work all five witches must take their place on the pentangle and all must think of the same vampire. Your wife is Miss Broadway's friend?"

"Yes,"

"And do you trust Miss Broadway?"

She had certainly come through recently. "As much as I can trust any witch." Amelia gave me a nod in acknowledgement.

"Well then, you have nothing to worry about. Give us the name of the vampire you wish us to control, and we will do so."

I still didn't like this, however it would certainly be an ace-card to have up my sleeve. But I hated the thought of other witches being able to do this.

"I can sense your hesitancy, Viking. This takes much energy and concentration, and it is not something we do lightly. Most witches are unable to do so, it requires a deep connection with the land, and no land is more magical than that of New Orleans. You have my word that I will not use this on you."

I thought for a moment before telling her, "his name if Felipe De Castro. Do you need anything else?"

"There is a lot of power in a name."

I watched the witch as she drew a chalk pentangle on the floor of the plane. "You are able to do it from here?"

"It will be best. This plane is from Louisiana and is therefore a connection to our homeland. I do not need proximity for it to work, but I would be grateful if you could leave some wolves as guards, preferably Mr Dawson as he has a reason to protect us."

I could do that, so I agreed and left them to it after discussing further what I wanted from them if they were able to take over his body. I didn't want to rely on the witches' help, and I intended on killing him myself, but I wasn't going to say no to any assistance they could provide. After the plane had landed, we got into the vehicles Thalia had arranged and set about heading to De Castro's compound.

We kept Sandy hidden as none of us doubted that there would be spies at the airfield, but we'd been told by De Castro's former lieutenant that they would be at a facility on the edge of the city, rather than the underground lair of the hotel he owned which was used as his Royal Residence. For her sake, she'd better be right, but as Pam drove and we neared the location, I could feel the bonds growing in strength to both Sookie and Åsa.

My child had called to me as soon as she'd woken, and as we got closer to the compound, I could feel an increased panic from both of them.

"Eric?" Pam queried.

"Any vampire that touches either of them, I will pull to pieces."

"We'll get to them, Master." Pam didn't often call me 'master' and she also placed a hand over mine. It was a small gesture from her, but comforting nonetheless.

"I know."

Soon enough we had arrived at the compound and we all jumped out of our various vehicles. De Castro obviously was prepared for us, and as soon as the cars had stopped we were greeted with a slew of vampires and weres. But for all De Castro's defences, my attack force was better, even if we did lack the numbers. The guns loaded with wooden bullets were particularly effective against both the weres and vampires, and truly an ingenious invention.

And I had to admit it, Sandy was an excellent fighter, and by the way she was decapitating the wolves she was fighting who obviously knew her, I was fairly confident that she wasn't in this with De Castro. Not that I'd ever truly let my guard down, but I was more confident in her.

It didn't take too long before we had slaughtered the weres and vampires sent out to greet us, but I didn't for one moment think that this was the best of De Castro's men and women. After taking a moment to feed from a few of the weres who weren't quite dead, we were on our way inside the complex. Pam, Chow and Felicia and most of the others went to the main entrance of the compound, while Alcide and I followed Sandy to a 'secret' entrance that apparently only she knew about.

It seems that Sandy had overseen the building of the compound, and Madden and De Castro had been arrogant enough to not check up on her work, so knew nothing of this way into – or out – of the building. I again felt Sookie and Åsa's fear spike, and I watched Sandy as she disarmed the cameras and security systems and therefore allowing the other group access through the front door of the compound.

"I want Madden," she snapped at me as entered further into the building. "That fucker has been a thorn in my side for decades." I hated the slimy bastard just as much, but she had been forced to work with him for such a long time, so I was willing to concede that one.

"Just leave me De Castro and the tiger," I told her, to which she nodded.

Using my senses, I tracked Åsa and Sookie through the corridors, directing Sandy who was in front of me with Alcide at my rear. After a few minutes of going further into the compound I could strongly feel both of them. I had kept myself closed off to them in case they weren't alone, and considering what I was feeling from both of them I guessed that they weren't.

.

**Sookie**

Victor Madden had a truly disgusting look on his face as he stared at Åsa, and I could feel my magic growing in me despite the iron restraints around my wrists and waist. But all of a sudden he stopped and stared at the door, a low growl coming from deep within his chest. I tried not to be hopeful that it was Eric, as I hadn't felt him, but something was obviously disturbing Madden.

I watched him as he picked up a sword that had been leaning in one corner of the room, swinging it a few times as if to test its weighting and then he was deathly still as he listened to something my human ears were unable to pick up. Not before too long, I heard a shout from outside the door, the sound of metal on metal and then nothing once more.

I didn't breathe as the door slowly opened and in walked Eric. I wanted to scream and cry with joy at seeing him, but I could see something was wrong and he didn't seem to be armed. He was followed by a short woman with dark blonde hair who had a stake to his back. All the joy that had hit me at the sight of him drained instantly from me, and I felt my stomach bottom out in fear.

"Sandy," Victor greeted her as she shoved at Eric so he was within a few feet of the still naked vampire. "I thought you were out of the state."

"I was, but I came back early." The sneer in her voice was evident. "And just in time, it seems, since you would be unable to prevent this."

"How did he even get in?" Victor spat at her as he moved his sword to Eric's neck. Eric was unmoving, but his eyes were fixed on my captor and were burning with hate.

"No idea. Maybe the compound isn't as secure as you said it was."

"You built it."

It was odd that they were having this domestic at a time like this, but it was obvious that there was not any good feelings between these two.

"Exactly."

Victor Madden ignored her comment, but instead lowered his sword and walked right up to Eric. "I'm glad you're here. I was just about to have my way with your child, and I know that the King was looking forward to seeing you."

"Let them go, Madden," Eric growled at him.

He laughed. "Or what? You're unarmed, Northman, and my lieutenant has a stake to your back. Oh, I am going to enjoy this!"

"Not as much as I will," the female vampire said from behind Eric, moving swiftly to the side of him, around Victor Madden and placing the stake on his back instead. Alcide appeared at the door to the room and threw Eric his sword and a whole bunch of other weapons I couldn't identify.

"What the fuck?" the slimy vampire hissed, and I watched Sandy screw the stake into his back a little, earning a howl of pain from him. Eric had taken up Victor's previous position with his sword at his neck. I watched Eric as he finally took the time to look at both Åsa and me. I nodded once at him to let him know I was okay, and he went back to placing his attention on the vampire at the centre of the room. I finally let myself breathe again as Eric and this Sandy were obviously working together.

"You dare to call me your lieutenant?" she asked him viciously. "You are a cad. You are nothing more than a weasel or earthworm. I should have done this decades of go, you fucking asshole." With that, she drove the stake into his back, and both Eric and her stepped back as Victor Madden exploded into goo.

Eric was instantly at my side, unlocking the restraints, while Sandy went to Åsa and, using gloves, undid the bonds that were chaining her to the table.

"You're okay?" Eric asked me as he almost frisked me for injuries, his eyes lingering on my split lip as he placed a gentle lick to it. Our bond was back open again, and I could feel his concern over his thinly veiled anger.

"I'm fine. I was tied up there, that was all that happened." I didn't tell him about the way de Castro had grabbed me, as I knew that would anger him more. "But Åsa was partly drained by De Castro, you need to help her."

Eric looked once more deep into my eyes before turning his attention to his child. It was obvious that she was weak, and he held out his arm to her and commanded her to feed from him. I could see her hesitancy, but she relented and took a couple of mouthfuls of her maker's blood. I had to admit that I was highly conscious of Åsa being naked, but I felt no lust from Eric as she drank from him and Eric's eyes were fixed on mine.

"We need to be going," Sandy said after a few moments, giving Åsa a robe that she had pulled from a cupboard in the room. "De Castro will know that we're here, and may come looking."

Eric seemed to agree with her, and the three vampires and Alcide formed a diamond around me as we followed Sandy down dimly lit corridors. Eric was hyper alert, and had again subdued the bond as he focused on what was around us. I wanted nothing more than to throw myself at him and take comfort from his touch, but this was not the time or place, and I needed to be as alert as the rest of them.

"Pam," Eric suddenly hissed, and our pace was increased, Alcide actually picking me up so that I wasn't stumbling alongside them. Eric glared at him when he did so, but didn't stop him. "Protect her with your life," he ordered Alcide when we stopped. My ex simply nodded in agreement.

"Come out, Northman, I know you are there," a Hispanic accented voice called from the other side of the door, and I assumed that it was De Castro.

The doors opened in front of us to reveal a large, yet dimly lit room. There was certainly a battle going on, with vampires battling vampires, and various animals fighting against each other. I had to admit that it was a surreal sight to see. I was even sure that I spotted a tiger, and could only assume that meant that John Quinn was here. I hoped to goodness that Eric would get his wish, as I personally blamed all this on him.

In the centre of the room was De Castro with Pam in his arms. He had a blade to her throat, and from the slight singeing the blade was giving her, it was clear that it was made of silver. As Eric entered, the battles seemed to stop, an uneasy ceasefire falling on the room and all eyes moving to the confrontation in front of us.

"Let her go," Eric growled at the King.

"I tell you what, Viking, I will trade you for the telepath." De Castro's voice was almost amused, and I was sure he assumed he had the upper hand.

"No."

"No? Well I hope that you don't mind losing a child, as I will get the telepath either way."

Pam struggled in his arms, but he held her firmly as he started to slowly slice into her neck. Although the bond was closed, I could feel Eric's fear and anger slipping through, and it was clear that De Castro was completely insane. There seemed to be a stand-off in the room, and someone had to break the deadlock. If Eric moved to him, it was certain that he would decapitate Pam; therefore it wasn't an option.

I knew I had to do something. From Eric's blood that I'd had the night before and the lack of iron on my body, I felt much stronger and more in control, and I focused briefly on a flame on the wall, easily making it flicker. Åsa caught my movement, and from behind Eric she nodded to me. "Okay," I said, stepping forward and to the side so I was out of arms reach of Eric. "But let her go."

"Sookie, no!" Eric yelled at me. He made a move to grab me back behind him, but I took another step closer to De Castro. I turned to him and sent him every bit of reassurance and confidence that I could. I had to do this, but I needed to be close to De Castro to do so and Pam needed to be well away from him.

I turned back to De Castro, taking one more step in his direction. Pam was begging me with her eyes, although I couldn't tell whether she was telling me to stay where I was or to help her. He pushed her violently to the floor in the same instant that he grabbed me.

But I had probably underestimated things.

As soon as I had stepped away, Eric, Sandy and Alcide were surrounded by a group of around ten vampires and wolves, who didn't seemed to have been in the room before, and Pam too had been captured again by three vampires. One of which was Johan, something that earned a growl from Åsa when she saw her child.

"Beautiful Sookie, in my arms at last," De Castro purred into my ear, running his hands under my t-shirt in an obvious attempt to goad my husband. But I did everything I could to ignore him, focusing instead on the candle on the wall. This was pure theory from what Åsa had told and shown me that I may be able to do, and I was taking a huge risk, but our group were severely outnumbered in the great hall, and I had to do something.

As De Castro carried on talking, I felt the familiar energy build up around me and I focused on the flame, bringing it in to me. I knew I'd been successful when a gasp went around the room and De Castro suddenly let go of me and dived to the ground, rolling around on the floor to put out the fire before he burned. Eric looked as stunned as anyone, but he used the distraction to quickly decapitate three of the vampires that were surrounding him, and the fight burst back into action.

The large grey wolf that was Alcide was suddenly in front of me and acting as my own personal bodyguard while the room descended back into chaos. I watched as Åsa and Sandy battled against the vampires that were attacking them before they moved – under Eric's orders – quickly to a singed looking De Castro and chained him securely in silver before re-joining the fight.

It seemed that the Louisiana crew were winning the battle, with Pam and Åsa working together as one, Sandy battling against some wolves and Eric taking on three vampires and the tiger. I watched with fear as Eric decapitated one vampire and removed an arm from the other. But the tiger was quick and powerful, and in one swipe while Eric was momentarily distracted, he knocked him off guard.

I screamed for someone to help him, but all were still involved in their own battles with Chow and Felicia unable to make the distance in the time. It was Johan who caught Eric at an opportune moment, and held a stake to his chest and a dagger to his throat. I was sure that the tiger smiled and looked at me, licking its chops before swiping a large claw once more at Eric and drawing blood as he paraded around my vampire.

"Goodbye, granddad," the young vampire said before he raised the stake back to plunge into Eric's chest. Eric rolled to the side as soon as he was able to, but was again caught off-guard by the tiger. I felt a crackle of energy within me, and before I really knew what I was doing, I had thrown a fireball at Johan, who, not knowing to roll of the floor, burst into flames and disintegrated.

At that time, both Åsa and Pam had finished off the vampires they were fighting, and went to Eric's side as they ganged up against the tiger. De Castro was still tied tightly in silver, and I could see that the battle appeared to be over, with these two being the only survivors of the opposing force that had not surrendered. Not that I expected either of them to live for long.

"I have a need for a new tiger skin," Eric said to Quinn, obviously toying with him. The tiger was surrounded by Eric and his allies, and must have realised that he was facing a lost cause. Yet still the tiger growled at Eric, and took a swipe, which Eric casually avoided. This game of cat and vampire lasted for a minute or so before Eric obviously got bored of it and picked the tiger up by the scruff of his neck. He made it look as easy as it would be to pick up a domestic moggy.

The tiger clawed in the air, but Eric had a firm hold of him, placing a knife to his throat. "You dared to sell out my wife, and for that you will die."

Eric plunged his knife into the tiger's neck, but slit downwards instead of across, as he cut down the great animal's body and effectively gutting it. I had to look away as although I wanted Quinn dead for what he had done, seeing Eric gut an endangered animal – even if it was a were-animal – was a little bit too much to take.

I was maybe a little surprised when Quinn turned back into his human form when he was dead. From the way Eric had talked about displaying the tiger skin, I had assumed that he would remain a tiger in death. But instead, he was a very naked human with a slit going lengthways down his body from his throat to his lower abdomen.

Eric, however, was all business, and as soon as Quinn was dead, he turned his attentions to the King who was glaring at my husband. He was less singed than before, but his clothes showed the evidence of me burning him.

"You will die for this, Northman," De Castro spat at Eric.

Eric was casually leaning on his sword, and simply raised an eyebrow at the King. "Really?"

"Sandy, kill him!" De Castro ordered of the vampire I assumed had defected onto Eric's side. I had to admit to be scared when Sandy stepped towards him with her sword raised, but she lowered it again once she joined Eric next to De Castro.

"Yeah … I'm thinking not. If Eric kills you, I get Nevada."

The vampire snorted. "He will not give you Nevada. Why would he?"

"Because of her," Sandy said smugly as she pointed to me.

"Enough!" Eric's booming voice shouted. "Felipe De Castro. You have committed a blood offence in kidnapping my wife and bonded, you have fed from my child without her permission or mine. Your life is forfeit."

Eric gave no time for De Castro to argue against his judgement, and simply swung his sword and sent De Castro's head flying across the room. A cheer went up from the loyal vampires and weres in the room.

I watched as all the vampires in the room bowed their heads to Eric, and he took a commanding position, puffing his chest out and looking every much the Viking king he was.

"I have no interest in ruling Nevada. Is there a vampire here who wishes to take the throne."

"I do," Sandy said, standing tall and approaching Eric.

"Are there any challengers?" Eric's voice bellowed out to the room. When no other vampire presented a challenge, Eric continued. "Let it be known that Sandy Seacrest is the new Queen of Nevada." Eric bowed his head to her, and the still living Nevada vampires came up to her and started to swear fealty to her. This appeared to have been a bloody battle, with casualties on all sides, but the vampires I was closest too all seemed to have survived.

"Where's Thalia?" I asked Pam quietly.

"Still in Louisiana. Someone had to run the show back there. Eric and I coming here was leaving the kingdom open for attack from elsewhere."

I hadn't even thought about that.

Eric came over to where Pam and I were stood, and everyone's focus – certainly the Louisiana vampires and weres – was on Eric once more. "We will stay here tonight and leave at first dark. Pam, please go to the plane and bring the witches back here, I wish to speak to them when they arrive. The weres may rest as I expect them to guard my wife during daylight hours." He was certainly in vampire king mode, and his presence seemed to dominate the room. "Åsa?"

She walked towards him with her head bowed. "Yes, Master?"

"Your inability to control your child caused this. You were foolish and arrogant in not telling me, and your stupidity at not detailing him caused your capture, and ultimately that of my mate's. When we return to Louisiana, you will be chained in silver for one month. I will let the Queen of Sweden know."

"What!" I protested on Åsa's behalf, "Eric, she –"

"Sookie," Eric growled viciously.

"But Eric, that is barbaric! You can't –"

"Quiet!" he snapped.

I desperately wanted to argue with him, but he released his grip on the bond and I felt how much he didn't want me to question his authority, and not to mention the cold glare he was giving me. I bit my tongue, but made sure he felt just how unhappy I was.

"Felicia, stay with Sookie until I able to relieve you." The vampire nodded and came up to my side to act as my personal shadow. "I have things I have to deal with," he said as he strode over to where Sandy was ordering her own vampires. It was obvious he was pissed off with me, and he didn't look back as I glared at his back.

Sandy sent one of her vampires over to show us to the guest accommodation, and Pam along with Chow disappeared off to get the 'witches' as Eric had described them. I couldn't help but wonder whether that included Amelia, and what their significance was. Once in the suite, I took a much-needed shower, and climbed into bed wearing a dressing gown I found in the room to hide the damage to my left breast.

I'd resorted to drinking water from the faucet as I was so thirsty, but I was feeling way too stubborn to ask for food. I was really angry with Eric for the way that he had treated Åsa and spoken to me. She'd just been through a traumatic experience, and was nearly raped by Victor Madden, but he was going to punish her because of something her child had done. Eric had closed off the bond to me, but I wasn't sure whether he was able to feel my emotions, and I made sure that I was a grumpy as possible.

I must have drifted off, as I was woken to Eric getting into bed with me. There was a large part of me that was desperate to climb into his arms considering I thought that I'd never see him again, but I was also angry at him and my stubbornness won out.

"There are a selection of sandwiches for you on the counter, I can feel your hunger."

I didn't say anything, and I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of being right.

Eventually, it was Eric that broke the silence between us. "Sookie, she is a vampire. She should have informed me that she was unable to control her child, particularly considering the sensitive information he knew of you."

He paused as if to control himself. "I could have lost you, Sookie." He ran a cool finger along my cheek, and my body betrayed me by moving into his touch. "But I will not have you undermine me like that." His tone was cold and commanding.

"What," I spat angrily at him. "Are you going to punish me as well?"

"If I have to," he replied calmly.

"Fuck you!" I hissed.

"Sookie," his tone was a warning, and although I still couldn't feel anything from him, his anger was palpable and his blue eyes were as hard as I'd ever seen them.

"You will not treat me like that!" I countered. "I saved your ass in there."

"You were foolish and irresponsible. You did not know that you would be able to do that level of magic. I had it under control."

"It didn't fucking look like it," I snapped.

"You do not know everything, Sookie." His voice was loud and I didn't doubt that all the vampires in the vicinity could hear him.

"I know what I saw, and if I hadn't gone to Pam then he would have killed her. He was slicing into her neck!"

"Do you think I would have allowed him to hurt her? I had it under control. But you risked your own life, as well as Pam's, mine and everyone else's with your stupidity."

I was dumbfounded by the manner in which he spoke to me. "Go to hell, Eric," I snapped, attempting to get out of bed.

But as soon as my feet were on the floor, Eric was in front of me. "The sun will be up in less than a minute. You are not leaving this suite right now. Go to sleep."

He gave me a look I couldn't place, and then climbed back into the bed. He'd obviously showered elsewhere as he was clean, and I begrudgingly did as he asked, although stubbornly stayed over my own side of the huge bed.

Nothing else was said between us, but where Eric went out like a light as soon as the sun was up, I was left to ruminate and stew about the night's events.

* * *

**So a little angsty at the end, but was Sookie right to challenge him? Should Eric have spoken to her like that?**

**And De Castro? No one guessed that, so hope I haven't gone too far off the mark!**

**Anyhoo, next chapter up at the weekend - I'd love to know your thoughts.**

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And finally, why, Alan Ball, why?


	20. Chapter 20

**Next chapter – there were mixed feelings on the last one as to whether Sookie, Eric, or both were at fault. And thanks for reading.**

* * *

I didn't sleep well at all. As soon as Eric had died for the day, I went and ate a couple of the sandwiches he'd provided. That at least catered for one of my aches, but I was in pain from where De Castro had grabbed me, and I looked down at my chest to see that my left breast was slowly turning purple and swollen.

But I was also still so angry with Eric for the way he'd spoken to and treated both Åsa and me. How dare he suggest that he would punish me for saying what I did, and how could he treat his child like that, especially one that had been his lover for such a long time.

At the same time, I had a great longing for him. I missed his touch, his kiss and his caresses. I had been so scared when captured, with Eric being my only thought, so it seemed unreal that we now were at each other's throats. I wanted nothing more than to curl up in his arms, and I was sure that if I did I probably would be able to get a few more hours sleep. But I knew he'd be able to smell me on him, and I stubbornly wasn't going to give him that satisfaction.

After getting no more than one hours' more sleep, I climbed out of bed and changed carefully back into the same clothes I'd been wearing the night before. I sat staring at Eric for a few moments before trying the door, almost surprised to find that it wasn't locked. Although, of course, Alcide, Tray and another were I didn't recognise were sitting outside the room.

"Did you sleep at all?" Alcide asked me as I eyed them both.

"Not really." I took a couple of steps in one direction, and Alcide got up to follow me. "You're going to tail me?"

"Boss' orders," he said with a shrug.

"Seriously? You're telling me that Eric is your boss? It doesn't seem too long ago that you were telling me to stay away from him."

"Sook, he's the Vampire King of Louisiana, and right now he's employing me to keep an eye on you. I can't say I like that you're with him, but you're his wife and bonded, and I know as well as everyone what that means."

"This whole thing is ridiculous," I muttered under my breath.

Alcide sighed. "If you're wanting lunch and human interaction, Amelia is in one of the lounges upstairs."

"Fine, oh bodyguard, lead the way."

He did just that, and while Tray stayed to obviously guard Eric, I went with Alcide to a comfortable lounge where Amelia and four other women were sitting eating a banquet of eggs, bacon, sausages and breads, along with fresh coffee and juice. It made me feel very hungry.

"Hey, Sook," Amelia greeted me. "Come over and let me introduce you." I did just that, piling myself up a large plate of food and sitting with the other women. "This is my mentor, Octavia Fant," she told me, introducing me to a large African-American woman with grey hair. "She's one of the most powerful witches in the country, and had taught me everything I know." Amelia seemed proud that she had learned from this woman.

"Hi, nice to meet you." I shook her hand, and Amelia introduced me to the three others, Holly, who I recognised from working at Sam's bar in Bon Temps, along with two other women called Caitlin and Siobhan. It seemed, that all were witches, and had been invited along by Eric to Nevada to help him out. Quite what their role was I couldn't work out, as they were nowhere in sight in the battle, and I assumed these were the witches that Eric had commanded Pam to collect once the fighting had been over.

After we'd all finished eating, and I began to feel a little more human after drinking about three mugs of coffee, Amelia took my arm and – with Alcide following us – we found a comfortable den and sat down together.

"Are you okay, Sook? That must have been one hell of an experience."

"I'm fine," I sighed. "Åsa got the brunt of it."

"I didn't think it was possible to see a vampire as scared as Eric was when he realised you were missing."

I simply snorted and rolled my eyes.

"What?" Amelia asked. "He was. Until we deduced you were in Las Vegas, he looked lost and desperate. Sook, I'm serious, that vampire was close to losing it. He really loves you."

I again snorted and crossed my arms across my chest like a petulant teenager.

"Sookie," Alcide started gently. "Eric was right to tell you not to question his judgement, and you shouldn't have answered back to him." I noticed that Amelia was watching us closely as she hadn't been there for that exchange.

"Are you kidding me?"

"You don't understand the rules of vampires."

"And I suppose you do?"

"I may not be a vamp, but I am a were, and our rules are very similar. In that kind of situation, you don't challenge the leader. If I dared to speak up against the packmaster after a large battle, I'd be lucky to get out of with my hide intact. And trust me, if a human spoke up it would have been much worse. You shouldn't have challenged him. It wasn't your place to say how he treats her, and certainly not in that situation."

"But it's barbaric!" I argued. "She's his own fucking child. She was his lover, for fuck's sake. How could he bind her in silver for a month? I've seen how silver burns vampires; I can't believe that he'd willingly put her through that."

Alcide sighed. "He has his reasons, and obviously she did something very wrong."

"It's inhuman," I grumbled.

"Yeah, but they're not human," Amelia interjected. "They're vampires who have been around for centuries if not millennia and they have their own code of conduct."

"And from the look of the fireworks display from you yesterday, you're not entirely human either."

I turned to Alcide. I had forgotten that he knew nothing of my Fae heritage. "I'm one quarter Fae," I explained.

"I guess that's why you're so irresistible to vamps," Alcide said with a grimace. "And I can't say that I know much about the Fae, but they're known as being a brutal race themselves."

"Yes, well, I'm only one-quarter Fae, which makes me mostly human."

"Sook, you bursting into flames like that was not human."

"You burst into flames?" Amelia asked with awe in her voice.

"Yeah. It's a new skill. I can teleport as well."

"That is unbelievably cool."

I told Amelia all about the changes I'd had recently. However, I left out the part about Claudine giving me her blood and Eric nearly draining me. The three of us spent the rest of the afternoon talking like old times. Alcide told us about his new-girlfriend Maria-Star who seemed a lot more stable than his last one, and we chatted as we used to; before I knew that Alcide was a wolf, before I knew of the existence of vampires.

"Sook, it's nearly sundown. Are you ready to leave?"

"I didn't exactly bring much with me, Alcide."

"Good point," he smiled.

"You know you make a cute wolf," I told him with a nudge in the sides as he led me back to Eric's room. "I wish you had told me before. I think I would have understood, and it wasn't as if I didn't have my own secrets."

My ex shrugged. "It wouldn't have worked, Sook. I was expected to mate with another wolf to keep the line going, and I know you're not one to share. And anyway, with your telepathy vampires always would have found you, and believe me when I say that Northman is probably the best of a bad bunch."

"I take it that's a compliment?"

"It is from me. And he loves you, Sook, that much is obvious. He's killed two vampire monarchs to keep you safe, and I don't doubt that he'd kill the rest of them if he had to. As much as it beguiles me to say so, he's a good one."

"Sometimes I just feel that I'm not cut out for this world. And I know what you and Amelia have said about me being a part of it whether I like it or not, but it just seems so brutal at times."

We'd stopped walking, and Alcide turned to face me. "I know. And I keep on forgetting that you've only known of all this for less than six months. I've known of it my whole life, and Eric had been around for over a millennium. And maybe he does need to give you more time to adjust, but you have to try to fit in and understand his viewpoint. It's a hierarchical world where vampires see themselves as the top dogs, and all other creatures are seen as being beneath them. Especially humans."

I simply scowled and tried to walk away, but Alcide pulled me back. "And while we're on it, I don't doubt that Sandy will be seeing Eric off tonight. Meaning that you will be expected to be at his side."

"Alcide, I am not –"

"Sook, just do this. I know you love him, and I may not like it, but you're his wife and bonded. If you are not at his side, it will reflect badly on him and who knows what repercussions that will have. Fine, be pissed at him, but don't show it on the outside. Be his obedient wife for a change." Alcide gave me a knowing grin. "Now come on, your vampire is probably already awake."

We walked in silence down the stairs to the light-tight underground floor. Felicia and Chow were outside of Eric's room, and Chow opened the door for me as I approached. I gave him a small 'thank you' and waved to Alcide as he turned and left. When I entered, Eric was sitting on the bed and rose towards me when he saw me.

"You smell of wolf. Go and shower."

I really had to bite back my tongue to keep myself from answering him back, but bearing in mind what Alcide had told me, and knowing Chow and Felicia were only outside, I did as he instructed. But I made damned sure that he knew exactly what I felt about being ordered around.

I showered as he asked, washing my hair one more time and drying it loosely, before changing into the underwear and blue sundress and white cardigan that Eric had left for me in the bathroom. I spent as long as I could in there, keeping myself covered up so the bruises couldn't be seen and taking my time over my make-up with what I found, but eventually Eric knocked on the door and called me out.

"Come here," he ordered once I had stepped outside the room. When I didn't move, he appeared in front of me, and I couldn't help but flinch at him appearing so close. When I looked up into his eyes, I saw a flash of sadness, before he schooled himself and his impassive look was plastered back on his face again. Our bond was closed to me, but I didn't know whether he was able to still feel my emotions.

He slowly wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to him. I didn't want to, but I relaxed into his embrace, burying my head into his chest and breathing in his familiar musky scent. But after far too short a time, he pulled away, telling me that, "I needed to make sure you smelled like me." It was a punch in the gut, and I sat down heavily on the bed wiling myself not to cry.

Neither one of us said anything to the other until we left the room, and I did as I was told, staying a pace behind Eric, but otherwise plastering on my old 'crazy Sookie' smile that had become my default for many years. Only Pam and Åsa seemed to know that anything was up, both obviously still able to feel Eric. As Alcide had predicted, we met with Sandy before being driven to the airport to fly back to Shreveport.

I hated not being on speaking terms with Eric, and I hated even more that he was blocking the bond so I had no idea what was going on in his head. But I wasn't going to be the first one to back down, and I followed him onto the large plane, sitting where I was told to and picking up a magazine. I could see that Eric obviously disapproved of something I had done, but since he wasn't talking to me either, he didn't tell me what it was.

After we were in the air, he left his seat and went to speak with Pam and Chow. I was about to get up, but Alcide caught my attention and thought a strong 'don't' at me, shaking his head at the same time. Getting his point, I sank back into my seat and stared out of the window at the clouds beneath.

"I never thought I could meet someone who rivalled Eric for stubbornness, but you are definitely it." Åsa had joined me, sitting in the chair that Eric had vacated.

I didn't quite know what to say.

She continued. "I don't resent him for my punishment, and neither should you." I was about to argue, but she carried on speaking. "I told you when we were being held that I knew I had done wrong in not telling Eric, and he is right in saying that it is my fault we were both captured."

"That's ridiculous."

"You may think so, but he is right. And all vampires here will think the same. I expected to be punished, Sookie. And to be honest, he is probably being lenient with me."

"Lenient? I've seen how much that silver hurt you!"

"I'm not saying it's going to be pleasant, but he would have been well within his rights to have me staked." I gasped at her comment. "I'm serious, Sookie."

I didn't say anything. I just couldn't understand how she was so accepting of his ruling. The whole thing seemed barbaric and brutal.

"You're a twenty-first century woman. Tell me, do you agree with the death penalty?"

"No, I don't."

"You are a woman of your times. But you must remember that Eric is over one thousand years old. In his time, as in mine, punishments were of the physical kind, and the death penalty was often. In the past humans have been equally brutal, but over generations things have changed. Vampires don't move on like that. He is the same man he was when he was made, but believe me when I say that I knew what Appius was like, and compared to him, Eric is very forward thinking and modern."

I looked into her green eyes. "I just can't see how he can do this to his own child. If it wasn't for you, I would have been killed or raped."

"I don't believe that is true. I was only there as bait. I was stupid enough to be captured, and I would have been killed eventually as I wasn't the one they were after. It was you they wanted, and they knew to play on your good nature."

"I thought I could save you," I told her. "I thought if they led me into the van, I could grab you and use my Fae skills to kick their asses and get us back to the house."

She smiled. "The problem was that they knew you were Fae, and that was my fault for not containing Johan. Your plan would have worked if they hadn't shackled you with iron, but because of Johan, they knew to do that. So yes, it was my fault."

I sighed. "Did Eric send you over to talk to me?"

She laughed. "Trust me, from the glares the back of my head is getting right now, you can believe me when I say that he didn't. But Sookie, he is hurting."

"I wouldn't know," I shot back in reference to the fact that Eric had shut off our bond.

She gave me a sympathetic smile. "The maker-child bond is different to the one you two share. He's not as able to block Pam and I as he can with you. And from what he's told me, you're just as able to close the bond?"

"I have in the past. I don't know if he can feel me now."

"I would assume that he can. And before you do it, don't shut the bond off from him." She somehow knew exactly what I was planning to do. "That would just hurt him more."

"Well what about me? Does he not think it hurts me that he's closed the bond?" I couldn't help the tear that trickled from my eye.

"Hey, come on."

Åsa offered and arm to me and pulled me to her. I had to admit that it was odd taking comfort from her considering that only a week or so earlier I had thought she was here to steal Eric from me. In another circumstance De Castro's words would have scared me, as they certainly played on my concerns about Åsa, but at the time I had been more concerned about us both staying alive.

And I did trust her.

From my interactions with Eric, I knew that he didn't love her in that way anymore, and although she'd confessed that she did still love him, I was sure that she wanted what was best for him. And that, apparently, was me.

Not that I felt like that at the moment.

After a while, Åsa went and joined the other vampires, and I sat in my seat and waited until we landed. I did my duty, walking next to Eric as we exited , and then climbed into his corvette to drive home.

Eric still hadn't lifted the bond or muttered a word to me, and when we pulled up outside his house in Shreveport, I immediately walked to the garage to get into my red Audi Q7 and drive back to Bon Temps.

"No," Eric said, following me into the garage.

"No? That's all? You're not going to punish me for talking to Åsa? You're not going to tell me that I shouldn't have been reading that magazine? What is it? A month is your dungeon chained up in iron against the wall like De Castro had me? One hundred lashes? Are you going to drain me?"

Eric flinched at my questioning. I could see he was struggling with his emotions, and the bond momentarily slipped open to reveal a shot of intense emotional pain. It had been a low shot to bring up him nearly draining me, but I was tired and angry with him. However, he didn't answer my question.

"I am not going to let you drive home alone tonight."

"Fine, send a guard," I snapped back.

I didn't think he would.

I thought he'd ask me to stay, but he didn't. He did just as I asked, and I drove back to Bon Temps with three vampire guards in my car as I did everything I could to not burst into tears.

.

**Eric**

"Where's Sookie?" Pam asked as I pulled into Fangtasia.

"Driving home. To Bon Temps."

"You let her drive home?"

"She has three vampire guards," I pointed out.

"You are acting like a child!"

"Pamela!" I hissed, pushing her against the wall and bearing my fangs at her. "Do not insult me."

My child had the good sense to retract her own fangs and bow her head to me. I didn't want to have to bind both children in silver.

"Where is Åsa?"

"Waiting in your office."

I left Pam and stormed into my office. Åsa was sat on the wooden chair opposite my desk, and I collapsed into the chair.

"Eric," she said gently.

"Don't."

"I can feel how much you are hurting. Can you feel her?" I nodded. "And what is she feeling?"

"She hates me."

"You know, Pam might have been right." I growled at her, but I lacked conviction.

"She is upset with me, and hurt. I told her last night that I would punish her for answering back to me. I didn't think that she would associate that with the way De Castro held her."

"She knows you wouldn't hurt her."

"Really? I nearly drained her the other night, I pinned her to the bed. And she flinched away from me earlier tonight. She is afraid of me."

"You two need to talk."

"She is too stubborn to apologise to me."

"Sounds like someone else I know. Maybe you need to apologise to her as well."

I ran a hand through my hair. "I heard what you said to her."

"I know. Can you understand her point of view?"

"It was not her place to make it."

"True, but she is so young, Eric. And she is a product of the twenty-first century. She sees our values as archaic. She shouldn't have spoken out against you in that setting, and I think she gets that, but you were born over a thousand years before her."

I sighed and leaned back into my chair. I hated arguing with Sookie, and this was probably our first fight since those early days before I fell in love with her. But she had insulted me when she answered back and spoke up against me of my treatment of Åsa, especially after a battle where I had killed so many. I had seen the look on Sandy's face, and although we may have been allies when it came to defeating De Castro, she knew what Sookie could do, and that was dangerous, particularly if she thought I couldn't control Sookie.

But I did forget her age at times, though. I tended to think of her as my equal, my wife, bonded and mate, and at times, I forgot myself that the rest of the world wouldn't see her as such. Maybe I hadn't prepared her properly, and I knew things were going to change significantly when the vampires came out to humans later on in the year.

"Have you fed?" I asked Åsa, changing the subject.

"Yes." She bowed her head to me.

"Come along."

I led her into the basement and found a coffin that would fit her, but give her a little space to move about. She knew what the procedure was, but was surprised when I didn't don the plastic gloves used to handle the silver chains, and instead picked up a plastic coated silver chain and wrapped it around her.

"Master?"

"Thank Sookie," I told her with a sorrowful smile.

"Go to her, Eric."

I didn't answer, but closed the lid on the coffin and clamped it shut. The chains would weaken her to the extent that she wouldn't be able to escape, but wouldn't burn her skin the way Sookie seemed so horrified about. I probably was being soft on her, and I wasn't going to confess to anyone that I hadn't really bound her in silver.

Pam avoided me when I left the basement, and I ended up blocking Sookie, as I couldn't concentrate on the work I needed to do while I could feel her turbulent emotions. In the end, and after two hours of work, I gave up and flew to Bon Temps. I could see a light on in her bedroom, and the window was wide open as if she was hoping I would come by. At least I hoped that was the case.

Looking in through the window, I could see that Sookie was lying on her side wearing one of my t-shirts and hugging a soft toy I had once bought her as a joke when she told me that it was human lovers did. I knocked gently on the window frame, and she turned to face me, her eyes red and puffy from crying.

"Can I come in?"

"I haven't rescinded your invitation."

"That isn't what I asked," I pointed out.

She sighed. "Yes, Eric, you can come in."

I did just that, flying in through the open window and stopping just inside. I wanted to go to her, but we needed to talk.

"Are you okay?" I asked her.

"What do you think?" she snapped. "You're the one that can feel me."

She was real mixture of emotions: hurt, pain, sadness, exhaustion, anger, loneliness. But aside from the emotional pain, I could feel physical pain from her.

"Are you in pain?"

"I'm fine," she snapped back. I could see there were still slight marks around her wrists where she'd been held by the iron shackles, but it was more than that.

"I can feel that you are."

"It's nothing." She didn't meet my eyes, and I knew she was lying.

"Please?"

"Why did you come here tonight?" she asked, ignoring my question. "Did Pam or Åsa tell you to?"

"Pam called me childish, Åsa agreed with her. And Åsa did tell me to come here." Sookie scoffed and looked away. "But the reason I am here is because I wanted to see you. I don't like you hating me."

"I don't hate you."

"I'd beg to differ. I can feel your emotions, Sookie."

"And I want to feel you too," she told me. "I don't like not feeling you."

I hadn't intended on releasing the bond just yet, but I did as she asked and slowly opened the bond back up to both of us. Sookie closed her eyes briefly as she got used to feeling my own strong emotions. I was aware that my own emotions were just as complex as hers, if not more so, and she was analysing everything she felt from me. But mostly I was concerned about her.

"Sookie, what did he do to you?" I asked her gently. "And don't say it's nothing, as I know it's not."

She met my eyes briefly before slowly and carefully removing her t-shirt. My eyes were instantly drawn to her left breast, which was severely bruised from having being grabbed violently. I growled at the sight of the damage to her beautiful body, and I began to wish that I hadn't made De Castro's death so easy.

She was avoiding my eyes, and staring down at the bedspread. I took a moment to run my eyes over the rest of her, before moving to kneel in front of her. She still didn't meet my eyes and moved to pick up the t-shirt once more. I stopped her, and placed a finger under her chin to tilt her head towards me. I could feel that she was embarrassed and ashamed of the damage to her body.

"I want you to take my blood."

"It's fine, I'll heal."

I sat back on heels. Sookie had not refused my blood since the early days, and it hurt that she was refusing me now when she was obviously injured. This fissure between us was obviously larger than I thought. And I had to do something, as I was not going to let her pull away from me. She was mine and I wanted her by my side.

"Sookie, I am sorry for saying that I would punish you." I met her eyes so she knew I was sincere, even though our bond was fully open. "Please know that I would never hurt you, and that I have done still grieves me. It was … I shouldn't have said that when you had been through such an experience, I didn't think and it was wrong of me. Please forgive me?"

I could see the tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry as well. I shouldn't have challenged you the way I did, at least not there. I didn't realise the implications of doing so. But I do now, and I will try my best to watch my tongue."

I placed my hand on her knee. It was the first time we had really touched since I hugged her earlier that evening, and even that had been through clothes. I met her watery eyes and I pulled her into my arms, enjoying the warmth of her body and her scent. But in hugging her to me, I could feel her pain increase as I placed pressure on her injured breast.

"Please, Sookie, take my blood."

"Only if you bite me as well."

I was a little surprised by her request, but I agreed. So as not to make it too sexual, I got behind her on the bed and pulled her to me, so that she was leaning back on me. I bit my wrist and placed it in front of her, and once she started drinking, I bit softly into her shoulder and took a large mouthful of her beautiful blood. She still had a strong Fae taste to her, but I was able to control myself.

Once we'd both finished feeding, I held her close to me as I watched my blood work its magic in her, as her wrists healed and the damaged vessels of her breast healed themselves to reduce the bruising and swelling.

"I feel that maybe I haven't explained vampire politics enough to you," I started with her still in my arms. "And I do realise how brutal it must seem to you. But it is how it has always been. A vampire is responsible for their progeny, and it is why in the early years the young vampire will not be left alone. Generally vampires are punished if they do things wrong, and you know this." She did know that I regularly had to discipline vampires within my kingdom, but for the most part didn't know more than that.

I continued. "But it's also the case that if a vampire does something considered as treason, or another major offence, that the vampire's maker will also be punished. And particularly in cases where said vampire is already dead."

She moved in my arms and turned to face me. I could feel intense guilt coming from her. "You mean that if I hadn't killed Johan than he'd have taken the rap instead of Åsa?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"If you hadn't have killed Johan, than I certainly would have. And this circumstance was different. Åsa has told me that she knew that she couldn't control him, and she failed to take matters into her own hands by staking him, or telling me as her maker as well as the king of the state she was in. It has nothing to do with her being my child and if I hadn't been seen to punish her, I would be seen as being weak. And I am a vampire king, Sookie, if I am seen as weak than others will attempt to take what is mine."

She sighed. "I still think it's barbaric."

"You're entitled to your opinion."

"Did you really have a Plan B?" she asked after a moment.

I smiled. "Of course. I knew what I was doing, Sookie. You need to trust me on these things. "

"The witches?"

"Yes. You met Octavia Fant?" she nodded. "She is a very powerful witch. She was monitoring what was going on, but would have been able to control De Castro through necromancy."

"Necromancy? That doesn't sound good." I could feel her fear.

"It's not. And it's a good thing I have Octavia on my side." I leaned down to kiss her gently. "I would never let anything happen to you, Pam or Åsa. You must trust me."

"I do. It just really seemed like a lost cause, and I couldn't see an out." She ran her fingers down my arm. "You've chained her up then? Åsa?"

I smiled a little. "I have, but between you and me, she'd in plastic coated silver chains which don't burn the skin, and I will let her feed at least once a week."

"Good to know," she said with sarcasm that I chose to ignore. "But I am sorry for challenging you the way I did. I guess I was riled up from the fight."

"That's okay, I forgive you. Just please don't do it again?" I knew it was a real possibility that she would.

"I'll try not to."

I kissed her hair. "Will you forgive me for saying I'd punish you? It was out of place of me, and I would never choose to hurt a hair on your head."

"I do forgive you, Eric." I felt her sincerity as she said it. "I guess this is our first fight?"

I smiled . "Correct. Does that mean we get to have fantastic make-up sex?"

She slapped my arm. "Maybe when I feel more alive. I'm exhausted right now. I didn't exactly get much sleep last night; you may be able to sleep like the dead, but I certainly didn't."

"And for that I am sorry."

I moved the sheets so that she could lay under the blanket, and gave her the t-shirt of mine to put back on. As I started to remove my own clothes so I could join her in bed, she asked me a relevant question. "One thing I don't get, is that Åsa said that Johan, while they were in Louisiana, somehow managed to break their bond. How did he do that?"

My mood darkened a bit. That was a very pertinent question, and one in intended to get to the bottom of. "I do not know, although I would suspect that witches are involved. I have spoken to Amelia and Octavia Fant, and both of them will ask around to see if there have been other witches in the area recently."

"Again, maybe it's a shame I killed him."

"Not really. You killed him because he was attacking me."

She sighed. "I was so scared, Eric. Not just during that fight, but the whole time. All I could think was that I wouldn't get to see you again, or worse, that you'd end up dead." She snuggled tightly into me and I wrapped my arms tightly around her.

"Do you see now why I value security so highly? I cannot do without you, Sookie. I will not. You are my own, and I will not allow another vampire or any being have you. I will kill every vampire in this country if I have to."

"A little extreme," she joked.

"Not for me."

After that I took Sookie downstairs to eat as she hadn't had anything that evening, and I spent time explaining more of the rules and codes that vampires adhered to. I regretted not telling his this before, as it may have saved us the recent angst. She admitted to not liking a lot of what I was telling her, standing by her decision that it was archaic and brutal, but then most vampires were archaic and brutal, and we had to have such strict measures in place so we wouldn't be discovered by humans.

When she was falling asleep in my arms I carried her to her bedroom, pulled off the t-shirt she was wearing and wrapped myself around her until she fell asleep. I took the time to make some phone calls while she was sleeping and to check in with Pam, who had been relieved to know that Sookie and I had spoken and made up. However, as it wasn't long until dawn, I went to bed with my wife, enjoying the warmth of her small body and the hum of the bond between us.

* * *

**So, they've made up and apologised. But still feel that Åsa is being poorly treated? Will Sookie and Eric be able to come to an understanding?**

**I'd love to know your thoughts on the chapter.**

**~drumbjo**


	21. Chapter 21

**I'm glad most people liked the last chapter and appreciated that Eric and Sookie had a much overdue talk. So let's start with the next evening ... **

* * *

**Sookie**

I woke to an amorous vampire kissing down my left arm, his hand on my hip and evidence of arousal digging into my lower back. Not to mention the huge amount of lust flooding the bond that had me wanting him like never before.

"Evening, lover," he purred as he pulled me back onto my back and palmed my now healed breasts in his large hands.

"Did I sleep all day?"

"You did." He took one of my nipples into his mouth and sucked, eliciting a moan of pleasure from me.

"What's all this in aid of?" I teased.

"This is make-up sex. And anyway, I haven't had you for two nights. It is too long." I quite agreed.

"I have morning breath, Eric. I need to brush my teeth." I attempted to get up, but Eric pinned me to the bed.

"You don't need to; you taste delicious." To prove his point he kissed me deeply, holding my arms above me and straddling me as we kissed. It was hard not to give in to him completely, and that's just what I did. It seems that he had missed me as much as I had him.

He let go of my arms and I wrapped them tightly around his neck in an attempt to keep him where he was. And he did, we spent time just kissing, my nails digging into his back as he nipped down my neck, and my toes curling with pleasure as he exacted his skill on me. I groaned in disappointment when he sat back, although I took a moment to admire his exquisite form: his messy hair down around his face, his piercing blue eyes full of such adoration and mischief, his strongly muscled neck, shoulders, arms and torso. He really was a sight, and he was all mine.

"Enjoying the view?" he smirked, feeling the increase in my lust as I ran my eyes over him.

"Definitely."

He leaned in to give me one more kiss, and started kissing down my neck to my shoulders and chest. Not one inch of my skin was untouched by Eric's mouth, and he was really taking his time with me. Not that I minded, as I was in heaven from the way he was treating me, but I was a little anxious for him to get to the good part.

"Patience, lover," he scolded with a smile. He then proceeded to go even slower as he kissed over my breasts and belly, taking my nipples one by one into his mouth and swirling his tongue around them until I was crying out with pleasure. I grasped at his hair and writhed underneath him, but there was no forcing his hand.

"I love you so much," I moaned, and his intense eyes met mine. I didn't need him to say it back as I could feel the intensity of his love for me through our bond, but he did and then showed me quite how much by burying his head between my legs and bringing me to a quick orgasm. The second one was much slower, with Eric teasing me and nibbling at me until I was begging him my eventual for release.

"Let me feel you, Eric. Please!"

He met my eyes before slowly climbing up my body as I again drank in the sight of him. He simply whispered my name as my legs automatically opened for him and he plunged deep inside. I let out a cry of pleasure, and I could hardly keep the tears from my eyes as he began to slowly make love to me. It was healing and restorative, and exactly what we both needed.

He kissed my tears away, whispering to me in his ancient language as he ran his length in and out of me with expert skill, holding my body in such a way that all my pleasure points were stimulated. After a while, I wanted more, and I could tell that Eric felt the same as he increased the pace and let out a possessive growl.

He scooped me up in his arms and held me close to him as he started to pound into me. I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck for support, and he was kissing and nibbling at my neck. Out of nowhere, an orgasm hit me and I screamed out his name in pure pleasure. I could feel Eric's amusement at my sudden burst, and he simply picked up the pace further, thrusting hard into me as he tried to extend my orgasm.

"Oh god, bite me, Eric. Please bite me."

I was desperate for his bite in a way I was sure that I'd never felt before. I needed to give myself over to him, and I was desperate for his fangs to sink into me. When he did bite, I felt him swell inside me as he came to his own orgasm, his mouth bloody as he roared before continuing to feed from my neck.

When I came down from my high, Eric was gently licking at the wound on my neck and holding me close to him.

"I needed that," he told me.

"Tell me about it." I smiled up at him.

"You wish me to tell you how incredible it was to fuck my wife?" He raised a perfect blond eyebrow.

"It was a figure of speech," I smiled. "I think I missed that almost as much as you!"

"Unlikely. If I could, Sookie, I would spend all day buried inside of you. It is where I belong."

"And don't you forget it, buster!"

"Buster?"

"Would you prefer schnookums? Baby?"

"No. You may call me your sex-god. Norse warrior, maybe. But buster, schnookums or baby – definitely not."

"Okay, baby," I teased.

"Lover," he warned. "I am no baby. I am over one thousand years old. You, on the other hand, are just an infant in my lifespan. Perhaps I should treat you as a baby?"

I squealed as he picked me up in his arms and pretended to burp me. I had no idea where he got such ideas from, but I was in a state of giggles as he carried me downstairs and sat me in one of the seats at the kitchen table.

"I think the baby needs feeding." He had a point as I was hungry, but I was perfectly capable of getting food myself. "Ah, ah, ah," he scolded when I tried to get up from the table.

"Eric."

His eyes softened. "Let me look after you, Sookie."

I relented, and he made me some coffee and fried some eggs for me. While naked, I would add. It was strange seeing this ancient vampire cooking for me, and it was a skill that he and Pam had both learned recently, although Pam was not one to enjoy getting her hands dirty or food in one of her nails.

**.**

I'd not seen much of Eric in the week after we returned to Louisiana. He would pop by late at night, and usually have to wake me up as I'd been pulling more human hours and actually attending the office in the afternoons. He also never stayed, leaving half an hour or so before sunup to make sure he could fly back to Shreveport in time to be safely inside before the day broke.

But on the Saturday of that week, I woke to found a beautiful and large bunch of gerbera daisies by my bed with a note from Eric to take it easy during the day, as the evening was apparently 'date night'. I couldn't help but smile as I read his note, and the flowers were my favourites. He'd certainly bought me gifts before, but this was the first time he'd planted a surprise like this on me.

And I was truly very excited. The note had told me to dress comfortably with flat shoes, although apparently pants were a no-no. Eric was all for ease of access, and he'd grown tired of me complaining about ripped jeans and instead insisted that I wore skirts or dresses so he could devour me whenever he pleased. His words, not mine.

I did as he asked; having a lazy day and doing only a little grocery shopping and a few odd jobs around the house that I hadn't got around to doing over the week. I even managed to get a couple of hours sleep in the afternoon thanks to my light-tight bedroom courtesy à la vampire husband.

At a little before sunset, I made sure that I was ready and dressed in a dark blue sun dress with a white belt around the waist and flat white shoes. I paired it with a white cardigan in case it got colder later on. Eric had informed me that he'd be providing food for me, and I couldn't help but feel excited and intrigued at the thought of going on a date with Eric; something we hadn't really done together before now.

Once the sun had set, I waited impatiently for Eric to turn up, and around twenty minutes after the sun had set, he swooped in.

"Are you waiting for me?" he asked with a smug grin when he saw me sat on the old porch swing.

I saw little point in denying it. "Of course."

He looked good. Very good. He was wearing a pair of very dark blue and well-fitting jeans, along with a perfectly fitted white button-down shirt that seemed to have thin blue stripes going down the length of it.

"See something you like?" he took a step closer to me.

"Not really," I lied with a smile.

He stepped closer still, pushing me back against the wall of the house and pinned my hands above my head. "I disagree, my love." He ran his cool nose down my throat, breathing in the smell of my blood with a breathy moan escaping his lips. "You are delicious, and you are mine."

He started to kiss my neck, although as I was unable to move my hands, I couldn't grab onto him as I wanted to. I could feel myself getting wet as he nipped and sucked at my neck, and I was almost desperate for him to bite me, but he never did.

"Eric!"

"Yes, lover?" he knew that he was torturing me.

"Please."

"Please, what?"

"I need you."

"Not going to happen, Sookie. I have this all planned for tonight, and sex is not on the cards until later. You, my love, are going to have to be patient." He silenced any protest from me by kissing me passionately. He dominated me completely, but I was the willing victim and kissing Eric was one of my favourite things in the world to do. Probably second only to having sex with him. I sometimes wondered when I became so obsessed with sex, but I could only assume that it came with having a husband such as Eric who was so proficient.

When he finally pulled away, he released my hands and took a step back, much to my annoyance.

"Are you ready to go?" the bastard was smirking, knowing what he was doing to me.

"Yes." I locked the front door and walked up to Eric, assuming that we were flying since Eric came without his car.

"Keys?" he asked, his hand held out in front of him.

"We're driving?"

"Yes, I wanted you to be more comfortable."

"Well, it's my car, so I get to drive." I loved my Audi, and I enjoyed driving it. But from the look on Eric's face I could see that I wasn't going to win this one.

"When you take me out on a date, you can drive. Keys." He held out his hand, and I dropped them into it. "Don't scowl, Sookie, it doesn't suit you."

I poked my tongue out at him, but he ignored me.

We drove in comfortable silence, my hand in Eric's the whole time and I enjoyed the quiet hum of the bond between us.

"What are you thinking about?" Eric asked me after around fifteen minutes.

I hadn't really been thinking about anything in specific, but my thoughts had been of Eric. "You mostly."

"You seemed happy, content, almost."

"I am."

He brought my hand to his lips. "So am I. I have missed seeing you this week."

"All sorted?"

Eric had been busy with his kingly duties since returning from Las Vegas, and I knew he had concerns about other monarchs thinking they could invade his territory and take what was his. Namely me. He therefore – along with Sandy – made it well known what had happened in Vegas. For obvious reasons, he left out some of the parts about me and fairy powers, but he made it clear that he wasn't beyond killing other kings and queens if they dared to attack him in any way.

He let out a long breath. "Mostly. I have increased security and run further checks into all vampires in my state. There were a couple that I have removed from my area, and one I have imprisoned. But other than that it is satisfactory."

"So where are we going?" I asked, changing the subject as I didn't want to know more about the vampire he had imprisoned.

"It's a surprise."

"Well, we're nearly there, so you may as well tell me." I didn't like surprises.

"Nope." I could feel the smugness coming off him in waves, and I sulkily crossed my arms in front of my chest and stared out of the window. "That won't work, Sookie," he said with a smile. "And anyway, we are here."

I looked out to see that we appeared to be at a racetrack of sorts. "You're taking me go-karting?"

"Yes. I have rented the facility for the evening."

He moved at a more human pace around the car to help me out, obviously concerned that there may be human eyes watching us. I was surprised at his choice of date venue, but it looked like it would be good fun. I just wished I had thought to bring some pants to change into as wearing a dress wasn't really the right thing to wear go-karting.

However, it seemed that I was to be provided with a horrific overall to wear, something Eric seemed to find highly amusing since he refused to wear one, much to the annoyance of the one human employee that was supervising us. Needless to say, he was glamoured into not insisting that Eric wore one.

"I hate to say this, but I'm fairly sure I'm more fireproof then you are," I pointed out when I was in the unflattering overalls. "Part fire-fairy, remember?"

He grinned and took a few steps closer to me so that I was pinned to the wall. "Maybe, but I am a better driver."

"You reckon?"

"I know so."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Bring it on, vampire!"

Before not too long we were both in identical go-karts and hammering it around the short circuit. I could tell that Eric was getting frustrated at the lack of horsepower his go-kart produced, and with his extra weight and size, it was me that was going faster. Something that did not go down too well with my extremely competitive vampire.

So, of course, when Eric speedily overtook me on a bend, I knew something was up. "You cheated!" I accused after we'd finished our race.

"No I didn't." I was playing close attention to the bond, and although I couldn't feel deceit from him, I could certainly feel deviousness, and I knew that he was up to something.

"Really? Why don't I believe you?" I walked up to him and placed my hand over his unbeating heart.

"You don't trust me, lover?" he tried to sound upset, but I knew he was faking.

"I know you cheated."

"I didn't." I definitely could feel his mischievousness now. "I won."

"You didn't. You cheated."

"I wouldn't do that," he said with a smile. He wasn't quite blocking his emotions, but I could tell he was doing something.

"The bond tells me otherwise." I nibbled at his neck, running my hands down his strong back to his ass, where I squeezed his cheeks hard.

"Sookie," he moaned, pulling me closer to him so that I could feel the bulge in his well-fitting jeans.

"Yes, Eric?" I said, innocently pulling back from him.

"I want you." His fangs were fully down and I could feel the lust rolling off him.

"Nope."

"No?"

"Patience, remember?" I grinned. "And anyway, not until you admit that you cheated."

"I don't need to cheat, Sookie. I am a better driver than you are."

I crossed my arms in front of me. "I disagree. And I know you cheated."

"Well you don't need me to admit it," he said smugly.

"I can assure you, Eric, if you plan on having sex with me anytime soon, you had better admit it."

I walked away from Eric to the small changing room, pulling off my clothes in front of him and slowly changing back into my dress. Eric simply growled.

"See something you like?"

"Sookie," he stalked towards me, but almost as soon as he was about to reach me, I summoned my Fae powers and teleported to the other side of the room.

Eric spun around quickly, tracking me with his senses, his eyes fixing on me when he saw me on the other side of the room. I attempted an innocent smile.

"Think you can play, do you?" his fangs were down and I could tell he was enjoying the chase.

"If you can cheat, so can I."

"I didn't cheat."

"So you keep saying."

"I am a man; I am a better driver than you."

"Excuse me?" I placed my hands on my hips and glared at him.

"It is a known fact that men are better drivers."

"That is not true. Men are easily distracted and arrogant."

"I am not."

He slowly started to stalk towards me once more. This time I didn't slip away, but instead I met him half way and ran my hands down his arms, digging my nails into him like I knew he loved, and stopped when my fingers were just inside the waistline of his jeans. I kept my eyes on him as I slowly started to unbutton his pants and unzip him, taking care not to catch his skin, as he was straining against the material and not wearing anything underneath. I knelt down in front of him, released him from his denim cage, and placed a long lick along the length of him as he hissed in pleasure.

He moaned my name as he fisted his hands into my hair. I took the head of his cock into my mouth, swirling my tongue around him as he tried to thrust further into my mouth.

"So where are we going next?" I asked, abruptly standing up and stepping back from him. He stared at me in disbelief. "You said that you were going to feed me, and well … I'm kind of hungry."

"Sookie," he growled.

"Yes, Eric?" I could feel his frustration.

"Woman, do not do this."

"Woman? Seriously? You're only making things worse for yourself."

"Sookie, I am not in the mood for your games."

I simply smiled sweetly at him. "Well admit that you cheated, and I may do something about that later." I indicated to his still hard cock which was saluting me from his pants.

"Sookie!"

I raised an eyebrow, but I heard no confession from him. "Fine, we'll go to Merlotte's then. And I'm driving." I picked up my keys, gave him a wink and started walking towards my car.

"Come back here!"

I smiled over my shoulder. "I don't think so, Eric."

I knew I was playing with fire in winding Eric up like this, but I was having way too much fun to stop. As expected, Eric flew at me from behind, scooped me up and pinned me to the car, his hard body acting like a cage around me.

"Lover, you are playing a dangerous game." He started to nibble down my neck, his cool breath causing shivers through my body. He placed a wet kiss over my pulse point, allowing the tips of his fangs to indent my skin but not enough to puncture through. His hands were on my waist and he started to stroke me with his thumbs as he gently massaged my flesh.

I dug my fingernails into his back to try and hold him in place, breathing in his dry and earthy scent as he started to kiss along my jawline. I was desperate for his kiss, but he seemed content to kiss me everywhere else but where I wanted to feel him on my lips.

"Eric," I moaned, but instead I was greeted by a chuckle from my vampire as he stepped back from me.

"You shouldn't tease me, Sookie. I will always win."

I hadn't realised he'd prised the car keys away from me until he unlocked the car and opened the passenger door for me. I scowled at him, but he simply smiled and buckled my seat for me once I was sat down.

"So where are we going?" I said in a huff, although I wasn't really annoyed with him.

"I'm taking you to the same Supe restaurant we went to before."

I had to admit that it felt like a lifetime ago that Eric took me there, but I remembered that the food was good and they at least had a good selection of bloods for Eric to choose from. Although if I was honest, I didn't like the thought of Eric drinking from anyone other than me, even if it was from a glass rather than the living person.

We sat in comfortable silence as Eric drove, my hand in his lap once more, as he relaxed. I could feel his contentment and comfort at the two of us being alone together with no pressures from elsewhere. It was something we didn't get enough of before Nevada, and it seemed even harder to come by afterwards.

"I love you, Sookie," he said out of nowhere. It was an unsolicited declaration of love, and I couldn't help but smile. I pushed all the love I could back at him, saying it in word form as well as I squeezed his hand. "We need to make more time for this."

I couldn't agree more with him, but I also knew the importance of his role. "We should. But I do understand your responsibilities. As long as you're coming home to me I'm happy."

"I wish to see more of you," he said, his eyes fixed on the road. "I am considering letting Chow run Fangtasia and moving my business to Area Five. It is more comfortable with better security, and this way you can have the office next door to mine. So if you want to work in the evenings you can do, but you won't be so far away from me."

"You really want that?" I appreciated that Eric was happy for me to work as much as possible, as I was well aware of his caveman views on his woman working.

"Definitely. I hate being apart from you."

"If you do move, I'd be happy to have an office."

He turned to me, smiled and brought my hand to his lips. "Good."

When we arrived at the restaurant, it was clear that all knew Eric was in town, and we were given the best and most secluded table in the place, with all the staff falling over themselves to please him. I could tell that Eric was both impressed and amused by it, where I just found it all a little bizarre. Eric showed me to my seat, and we were both handed out respective menus.

"What's on that?" I asked, indicating to his menu without even opening my own.

"Different types of blood. Rare blood groups, some infused with fairy blood, or blood from the royal line." I had to admit that it was all a little odd. "Why?"

"Will you think it strange if I say I don't want you to drink from others, even if it is from a menu?"

Eric's fangs slid down as he regarded me, a lustful look in his eyes and a feeling of pure love flooding the bond. "I would happily only feed from you; I thought you may have liked a rest."

"No, I don't."

I smiled and opened my own menu, quickly choosing a Beef Wellington with a potato puree. The waiter came and took my order, along with a glass of expensive red wine, but didn't bat an eyelid when Eric told him that I'd be his lunch rather than anything from the menu. It was obviously a common request.

"Of course," I said with a smile. "You're not getting any blood from me unless you admit that you cheated."

He growled at me, but I could see the humour dancing in his eyes. "Fine. You are a stubborn and infuriating woman!"

"I learned from the best," I commented.

"You admit I'm the best?"

"I meant Pam," I teased.

He let out an unnecessary sigh. "Fine, Sookie, I admit I may have flown the kart around the last few bends to overtake you."

"See? That wasn't so hard was it?" Eric muttered something under his breath that I couldn't quite catch, but I wasn't concerned. "How do you want to do this?"

"Come here."

I did as he asked, standing up as Eric pushed back his chair to give me room to sit on his lap. He gently brushed back my hair and placed gentle kisses along my neck. His whispered his thanks to me before plunging his silky fangs into my throat, all the while stroking my arm as he fed from me.

I was well aware that many people would find it odd that Eric had taken me out to dinner, yet for him I was the dinner. However, I didn't want him feeding from others. He was mine as I was his, and I wanted to be the one to give him the nourishment he needed, even if that meant him drinking from me. And I could hardly say that it wasn't pleasurable for me, as it really was. I could feel myself getting wetter as Eric fed, and despite the embarrassment I felt from being in a public place, I couldn't help the muted orgasm that shot through me.

When Eric finally retracted his fangs, he licked the wound clean and bit his tongue to apply a little blood to heal the puncture marks. He held me tightly to him as I laid my head on my chest to recover myself from my moment of pleasure.

"Thank you, love," he whispered into my hair.

"I'd give you every last drop."

"I wouldn't ask that, but I appreciate the offer."

I kissed him once more before he helped me walk on shaky legs around the table to my own seat. I took a large gulp of wine before my own meal was served to me with almost precision timing. Eric watched me intently as I ate, and the food was truly delicious causing a few moans to escape my lips.

"You are killing me, Sookie," he whispered as I took another mouthful. I simply gave him a grin and moaned more, earning me a harsh look from my husband. When they served the chocolate fondant for dessert I was moaning even more, and Eric looked increasingly uncomfortable.

Almost as soon as I'd finished my dessert, Eric had paid the cheque and was flying me out of the restaurant. I was sure that given the chance he'd have preferred to fly us back to Bon Temps or Shreveport and abandon the car, but since it was mine I insisted on us driving. Needless to say, he drove at three times the speed limit and didn't stop once at a stop sign. I was only glad that we seemed to have made it back to my farmhouse without killing ourselves or other road users.

My poor dress didn't stand a chance with Hurricane Eric ripping it from my body, and my underwear followed in much the same fashion even before we had left the entrance hall to my farmhouse. He pushed me hard into the wall, and I cried out in pleasure as he took my nipple into his mouth and sucked hard, flicking the bud with his tongue as he worked two fingers inside of me.

Of course, I should have realised that Eric wouldn't let me have my own way, and when I was only seconds away from a powerful climax, he pulled out of me and sauntered away in the direction of the bedroom.

I collapsed onto the floor into a heap of sexual desire, and it took a good few minutes before I was able to compose myself enough to find the energy to follow him. Needless to say when I found him lying on the bed in my room, he was naked and stroking his long length with one hand, while the other was casually behind his head.

"Problem, Sookie?" he smirked.

"No, not at all." I was lying and he knew it.

"I smell bullshit."

"It's probably your own."

He growled deeply in his chest, but didn't move. "You will learn not to tease me."

"You started it."

"I did not."

"Did to."

"Well, I am ending it." He was up in front of me, and he picked me up off the floor. My legs instinctively wrapped around him as my arms clung to his neck. It was such a display of strength and dominance, but I felt safe and loved in his arms. "I am going to make love to you all night, my wife. You are going to be seeing stars from the pleasure I will give you." His voice was deep and velvety in my ear, and to prove his point he adjusted us and plunged deeply inside of me.

I let out a string of unladylike expletives as I felt him move inside of me, and it turned out that Eric's description of me seeing stars was surprisingly accurate. It was incredible just to spend the time with him, but he made sure that I that wouldn't forget that evening as we laid together making love, fucking, talking and kissing.

I knew that it wouldn't last as political Eric would have to raise his head again, but we agreed to make the time to see each other more and plans were set afoot to move his business operations fully into the Area Five building.

In the weeks that followed, I continued to see Claudine, although after a few more sessions she'd deduced that there was little more she could teach me as my abilities had plateaued. She encouraged me, however, to continue practising. Eric and I had decided that it was probably best that I didn't take more blood from her, and Claudine was surprisingly okay with that. But it did mean that my abilities were limited to some extent.

However, despite Eric's insistence, Niall had still not returned his call. Claudine had never given me a straight answer as to why, and for obvious reasons wouldn't speak to Eric herself. I had to agree with Eric that fairies were tricky and self-serving, but I couldn't deny that Claudine had given me a huge help, and I looked forward to practising more with Åsa once she was released.

.

**Eric**

"Shame Sookie's not here," Pam commented.

"She's having a night off with Amelia and Tray. And anyway, she doesn't read weres very well, even with my blood, so there is no need to bother her."

It was three weeks after the trip to Nevada, and things had returned to normal. Mostly, at least. I'd had an office in the Area Five building renovated for Sookie's use, and had spoken to Chow about taking over the running of Fangtasia. It seemed to work out all around, as he was pleased with the increased responsibility and it meant that I had better fascilities to conduct my affairs. Fangtasia may have been suitable for a sheriff, but it wasn't for a king.

Åsa was still being held in the basement of Fangtasia, although I was being soft on her by allowing her some of the bottled blood every few days. Not that she liked that stuff. But then we were all going to have to get used to it when the vampires came out of the coffin in October, which was less than six months away. In front of humans, anyway.

I had continued a dialogue with Octavia Fant regarding the magic that Johan used to break the bond with Åsa. But she had pointed out that it was fairly simple magic, particularly in a case such as Åsa's, where the bond was never that strong, and many witches would have been able to perform such a thing.

"I don't like them," Pam told me of the weres that were waiting to see me. "Not only are they ugly, but there's something suspicious about them. Take care."

"I will do, Pam. Send them in."

I'd had a meeting requested by two weres, a brother and a sister. They must have had different fathers or mothers as I knew it was normally only the first born that possessed the spark for change. And Pam was right in saying there was something up about them. They were both tall, the female especially so, and they both had a half-crazed look about them. I had spoken to Colonel Flood when they had requested a meeting, but he told me they were nothing to do with his pack, and were travelling through the state.

Something struck me as being very odd.

"Sire," the female greeted, bowing as she said so. I indicated for both of them to take a seat, and I sat back in my own chair and observed them. There was the faint smell of magic about them, which concerned me further, although I did not let that on. "My name is Hallow, and this is my brother Mark."

Hallow was an unusual name, and I doubted her real one. "You said it was urgent that you spoke to me. What is it that you want?" I wasn't in the mood for wasting time talking to weres.

Hallow smiled. "What I want is half the profits from this club."

She had some cheek to walk into my bar and demand that. I was pissed at Pam for not screening her closer as she was obviously crazy if she thought I would agree to that. "Not going to happen. Get out; I have no time for time-wasters."

I stood up and bared my fangs at them, but neither one moved. "Mr Northman, I suggest that you listen to us."

"Why should I? You dare to come in here and make such ridiculous demands?"

"Fine. I will accept a quarter of the profits and one week alone with you." She leered at me, and I felt my blood boil.

"No. Out. I will not spend any time with anyone other than my wife."

Still neither one of them moved. "I didn't want to have to do this, Mr Northman, but I will tell you this. If you do not agree to my demands then I will curse you and your business."

"You're a witch?" It explained why she smelt faintly of magic.

"Yes. I have already met Johan, but I understand he had met his end."

I was furious.

This was the witch that had helped Johan break his bond with Åsa. She had some cheek in turning up here, and she was going to end up dead with it. I picked up the sword which was stowed near my desk and swung it skilfully though the air, easily decapitating both weres. It would serve them right for daring to make demands of me.

I called to Felicia and Chow to clean up the mess while I sat back down at my desk and worked through some emails. Just after Felicia and Chow had left my office, Pam came bursting in, her phone in her hand.

"Pam, good. I find myself quite hungry – go and find me a brunette, and make sure she is attractive." I palmed my dick through my jeans at the thought of it.

Pam didn't move but simply stared at me. "Eric?"

"You heard what I said. Go and find me some dinner!" She wasn't normally disobedient, but tonight it seemed that she was going to be hard work, and I didn't understand the confusion I felt in the bond.

"What about Sookie?"

I frowned at her, annoyed at her questioning. "Sookie? Who or what is a Sookie?"

* * *

**So …**

**This is my version of the curse, and a little different to the books. What do you think? What does this mean? What has happened to Eric?**

**I'd love to know your thoughts and I appreciate every review and comment.**

**;)**


	22. Chapter 22

**So as I said, a different version of the curse …**

* * *

My child just stared at me. "Oh shit," she said, before telling the person on the end of the line that they needed to get to Fangtasia as soon as possible.

"Pam, why are you acting strangely?" I had never known Pam to be quite so emotional or bothered by a situation. And I certainly didn't understand what she was so concerned about.

"Me? Eric, please don't kid around."

I stood up and slowly walked towards her so that I was only inches away from her. "Do I look like I am kidding? Go and find me some lunch. NOW! I am in the need of a good feed and fuck."

"No, no, no … Eric, you can't. Sookie's your wife, your bonded, you can't do that to her!"

"What?" I had no idea what Pam was talking about. I didn't know who this Sookie was, but I had no wife, and I certainly hadn't bonded with anyone. Instinctively, I checked the bonds I had with my children, but surprisingly I could feel Åsa much closer than I expected her to be considering she was a lieutenant in Sweden. "Pam, why is that I can feel Åsa closer than she should be?"

Pam was still looking at me in shock, and it seemed that my question about Åsa only made her question me more. I could feel that she was truly confused, and I couldn't understand what had gotten into her.

"Eric, Åsa is in the basement chained in silver."

"What?" I roared. "Who dared to chain my child in silver in my own club?" I grabbed her throat and pushed her into the wall. "You knew of this?"

"Eric, you're the one that chained her up." I could sense panic from my child.

"And why would I do that?" I spat.

"You don't remember?"

"Tell me!"

"You chained her up because she failed to control her child, and ended up getting herself and Sookie kidnapped by De Castro." I could see the fear in my child's eyes. "Do you remember Nevada?" she asked quietly.

"Of course I do," I snapped in answer to her stupid question. I knew that De Castro had tried to invade my state, and we went and kicked his ass. It would teach him not to think that he could get one over me.

"But you don't remember Sookie or what happened with Åsa?"

"No," I said impatiently. "Take me to her."

Pam nodded once and I followed her into the basement of the club. Through my bond, I could recognise which coffin Åsa was in, and I tore open the lid and pulled her out of it. She was every bit as beautiful as I remembered, and seeing that the chains were plastic coated, I pulled her close to me and kissed her hard, my hands wandering over her firm body. I had missed her hugely, and I was not going to let her go this time.

I heard Pam yell at me from behind, and strangely, Åsa struggled in my arms. "Eric, what are you doing?" she asked when I pulled back. It had annoyed me that she hadn't responded to my kiss, and I could feel her confusion. "Pam?"

Pam handed me the key and I unlocked the chains that were binding my eldest child and former lover. "He's not himself," Pam told her. "I had a call from Sookie as she suddenly couldn't feel her bond with him, and now it seems that he can't remember her or what's happened with you recently."

I stared between my two children. Åsa had never met Pam, yet it seemed like they knew each other. And the bond told me that both of them were highly confused. There was obviously something amiss, and I suspected witchcraft.

"You two have obviously been cursed. I smelt magic in my office before you entered Pam, and that is the explanation of why you two are acting strangely. Now I will repeat my order, Pam. Find me a brunette." I stopped short of compelling her to do it.

Still she didn't move. "This is bad," Åsa said, looking at Pam. "What happened to the witch who did this?"

"He killed her. Before all this …" she pointed at me. "I heard that it was the same witch who broke your bond with Johan, and I don't doubt it's also the same one that undid the wards around his home."

I was getting more and more pissed off with them both. "Would you stop talking about me like I do not fucking exist! I am your maker, and I command you to tell me what is going on." I forced the connection so that neither one of them could lie to me.

"Eric, you have been cursed," Pam said quickly. "You had two were-witches in your office earlier tonight that made demands of your business. When you refused them they threatened you, and you killed them both. The curse must have been activated then, as after that, I had a call from your wife and bonded Sookie to tell me that she couldn't feel your connection, and she feared something had happened to you. And now you don't remember her, or anything with Åsa."

I could feel the truth coming from her, and Åsa seemed to confirm what she was saying. Meaning that whatever magic it was, was powerful indeed.

Pam continued. "We're not lying to you, Eric. Sookie is your bonded and pledged. She has her own home in Bon Temps, but she has lived with you at your home. Check the security tapes; you will see her. And more than that, your home will smell of her. Even your own, secure, bedroom." Pam still seemed desperate. "This is dangerous, Eric. If you don't know who she is, then others will try to take her. And without the bond …" she trailed off and looked to Åsa. "Can it be reformed?"

"I don't know."

I'd had enough of the two of them. "Enough. You say this Sookie is on her way?" Pam nodded. "Then fine, I will see her when she arrives."

She agreed, leaving me alone with Åsa. "Why did you come here? Back to me?"

I sat down behind my desk once more while Åsa sat on the black leather sofa. She ran a hand through her long brown hair to get rid of any tangles that had formed from obviously being inside the coffin. "Because of Sookie." I raised an eyebrow and waited for her to explain. "I felt that you were happy, that you had bonded. I also heard about her from both my own queen and Mississippi."

"You were jealous?" I leaned back in my chair and regarded her. It pleased me that she was.

"Yes." She was telling the truth. "I didn't like that you fallen in love with someone else, I can admit that."

"And you still love me?" I leaned forward and placed my elbows on the desk.

She shrugged. "I always will, Eric. But you and Sookie … You two are meant to be together."

"Maybe things will be different this time," I dismissed.

"What are you saying?" she was shocked.

My eyes were fixed on her. "You could move here. Be mine once more."

"Eric…"

"Whoever this Sookie is, I am certain she holds nothing to you. I don't need her; I can simply glamour her to forget me."

"Eric, she can't be glamoured."

That surprised me. "Fine, then I will kill her."

"What?" Åsa's face dropped.

"She is not of consequence." I moved to sit next to my child and took her hand. "Be my queen."

"No!" Åsa got up quickly and moved to the other side of the room near to the door. "No, Eric. I won't do that to her; I won't do that to you. You don't know what you are saying."

"Why do you protect her so? What loyalty do you have to her?" Åsa didn't answer me, but it made me think back to something she had said. "And why did your queen and Russell Edgington know of her?"

"Because she is a telepath."

Interesting. I had obviously done the right thing in bonding her to me, as she would be a useful asset. But it was still irrelevant; she was not vampire and therefore not my equal.

"But it's more than that," Åsa continued. "She is one-quarter Fae. She is Niall's great-granddaughter and my cousin."

That surprised me even more. "She is Fae? But how can she be both Niall's kin and yours?" Åsa was Fire-Fae whereas Niall was Sky.

"You don't remember Niall's visit?"

I simply growled at her. I might have trusted Niall Brigant more than a lot of fairies, but he was still self-serving and manipulative.

"Fuck. Look, Eric, I really think you need to let Sookie explain some of this to you."

"Why should I?" I shrugged. "I don't know who this woman is. How can I trust her to tell me the truth?"

I stood up and stalked closer to my former lover. I wanted her, and I didn't like or understand her rebuttal of me. She had admitted she loved me still, why would she care about a human who I was no longer bonded to?

We were interrupted by the door opening, and I saw a brief look of relief on Åsa's face. Pam was standing behind a beautiful blonde human, who was dressed in a pale blue tank, tight white jeans and blue pumps. She had gorgeous golden, sun-kissed skin that looked like it would taste delicious. I felt my fangs slide down as I took her in, my eyes running over her ample breasts, small waist and tanned neck.

"Eric!" she breathed, moving to throw herself in my direction, yet Åsa caught her around the midriff and held her back. I could only assume that this was Sookie.

"Let me go!" she complained to Åsa, struggling in her arms, but my child didn't allow her to move.

It was then that I caught her scent, and I felt my fangs itching to sink into her. My mouth was salivating at the thought of tasting this part-fairy, and I could remember all too well how good Åsa had tasted when she'd been human. But this one smelt even better.

"She smells delicious," I said more to myself than to any of the women in the room. I took a step closer to the human, but Åsa put herself between the girl and me.

"Eric, snap out of it. And Sookie, you need to mask your scent right now."

Strangely, it seemed like this Sookie did have the ability to mask her scent, and suddenly she didn't smell as delicious as she had done. But that didn't stop her from looking completely fuckable, and nor did it make me forget how good her blood smelled. I was looking forward to getting my fangs into her.

"What's going on?" Sookie asked in panic, her eyes fixed on mine. Her face was one of confused pain, and despite talking to Åsa and Pam, her eyes never left me.

"He's been cursed," Pam said gently to her. "He doesn't remember you, and the bond had been broken. He didn't remember that Åsa was here either."

She turned to my two children. "What? How?"

"By two were-witches. He killed them and in doing so seemed to have unleashed a curse."

"How can we fix this?" she sounded desperate, and her eyes were back on me.

"I don't know," Åsa confessed. "We need to talk to Amelia and Octavia."

"Amelia came with me, she's outside. Maybe she can do something?" her eyes were flitting between the three of us.

I wasn't having that. I'd had enough of witches, and I wasn't going to let any more come near me.

"Not a chance." They all turned to me. "Unless you are forgetting, I am king here, and you will do as I say." I stood up straight to assert my authority and dominance over all three of them. "Åsa, as it seems you should be in silver for one more week, you will go to the basement and stay there. Since I do not know what crime you have committed, I will not chain you up. If you try to leave, however, I will. Pamela, you will take charge of Fangtasia while I am gone."

"Where are you going?"

I smiled a toothy grin and cast my eyes over the human in the room. I was feeling ravenous again, and although I had wanted a brunette earlier, this human was much better and I could only imagine how delicious she tasted.

"I am going to take this Sookie home. I find myself quite hungry."

"Eric, you can't," Åsa protested. "You'll drain her!"

"Quiet. I told you to go downstairs. If you wish to be chained in silver, I am more than willing to do so." I glared at her and she backed down, bowing her head to me.

I cast my eyes back to Sookie to see that she was watching Åsa leave the room, and then turned back to me with a look of trepidation in her eyes.

"You don't remember me?" she asked quietly, obviously trying to keep her emotions in check.

"No," I said, leering at her. "But I can see I have good taste." My fangs were itching again to slide into the smooth skin of her tan neck.

I took a step closer to her, using my height to dominate and intimated my victim. Yet she held her ground as I approached her.

"Don't hurt her," Pam warned, and I turned to glare at her. Getting the point she quickly left the room as well.

"You are delicious, Sookie. In more ways than one." I leaned down to run my nose along her neck, relishing the fact that she shivered at my touch. "I am going to enjoy you."

In a quick movement, I grabbed her, pinning her arms behind her back with one hand and wrapping my body around her to prevent escape. I bolted from the room, kicking open the doors in my way and I flew up into the night sky, pushing Sookie's head into my shoulder to prevent her from screaming. I was definitely going to enjoy this part-Fae.

"Eric, please," she complained as soon as we landed.

"What, Sookie?" I let her go once we were in the confines of my back yard, and she took a few steps back from me.

"Don't do this."

"Do what?" I took a step closer to her.

"I love you, Eric." The human was starting to cry, delicious smelling tears sliding down her face. I couldn't restrain myself from leaning in and licking them off her cheeks.

"You taste delicious. I am going to enjoy you."

I took her hand in mine, and pulled her in the direction of the house. She was still crying gently as I entered the code into the house and pulled her inside. But just as Pam had told me I would, I could smell that this human had been in my house. The air was permeated with her scent, and it confirmed to me that Pam was telling me the truth. But there were more things I wanted to check.

I led her into the kitchen and deposited her at the counter. "Make yourself at home."

"I am," she said under her breath. I watched her as she opened the fridge to reveal more than the bagged blood I expected to see. It was full of human food, and Sookie took a carton of orange and poured herself a large glass.

She turned to me, aware that I was watching her. "Are you okay?" she wiped away her tears as she regarded me. It seemed strange that she appeared to be concerned for me.

"Why do you ask?"

"I don't know … to lose your memories … I'd hate to forget you." She had a strange look on her face that I couldn't quite interpret.

I didn't know how to respond to that. "Stay here," I told her, before quickly leaving the room.

Pam had told me that I would smell her inside my own personal lair, and if that was the case it was obvious that she was, in fact, a trusted human. Her scent was certainly all over the house, and I could see objects that I didn't remember from before, things that obviously belonged to her. I entered the twelve-digit code on the alphanumeric keypad, and went through both doors into my chamber.

And Pam had been right. The room was saturated with her scent, and it was stronger than other places, the scent of her arousal present on the sheets and her personal belongings in my closet and bathroom. I went into my office and viewed the security cameras. She was still sitting in the kitchen, but she had her head in her hands and she seemed to be staring intently at the work surface.

I logged onto the computer and chose to view the hidden cameras of my lair, rewinding the footage until I found images of Sookie and I making love. She was beautiful, and I watched myself worship her, kissing her gently and caressing her skin, which was an all-over gorgeous bronze.

I couldn't deny that this only added to my confusion. This woman had obviously meant something to me, but I had been cursed after killing that were-witch. The question I wanted answering was: why would someone want me to forget Sookie? And what did they think it would gain if I didn't remember her?

Those were both questions I wanted an answer to.

.

**Sookie**

As I sat still in Eric's kitchen I ran my mind over the previous few hours.

I'd been having a good time with Tray and Amelia, and she'd announced to me that they'd just discovered she was pregnant. It was early days, as she was probably only six weeks' gone, but Amelia wasn't good at keeping that kind of secret and ended up blurting it out to me.

I couldn't be happier for them both, and my friend had told me before that they had been trying. I knew she was a little concerned about whether I'd be jealous since I obviously couldn't have children with my vampire, but I wasn't. In fact, I was excited for her and Tray and I looked forward to being an honorary Aunt to her kids.

But just as we were about to sit down and make Tray sit through another chick-flick, I suddenly felt the bond sever. I screamed out in pain, Amelia and Tray rushing to me as I clutched at my chest. I felt it as keenly as if one of my own limbs had been sliced off. I muttered out an 'Eric' to Amelia, and I could see from the concerned look she was giving Tray that they suspected the same thing that I had. Something bad had happened to him.

Amelia went and fetched my phone from my purse and I reluctantly called Pam. if something had happened to him then she would be feeling it as keenly as I was, and I even thought to Åsa who was still chained in silver in the basement of Fangtasia. What had happened?

I could hardly breathe as I waited for Pam to answer, and the pain only seemed to get worse. I'd become so used to the bond, and although Eric had blocked me in the past, it never felt like this. I'd always been able to feel his muted life force, but now there was nothing.

"Hey, Sookie," Pam greeted in a much cheerier tone to how I expected.

"Pam … Eric …" I could hardly compose the sentences I needed to.

"Sookie? What is it?"

"Eric. Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he's in his office. I don't feel anything wrong from him. Why?"

"I can't feel him, Pam. The bond, it's gone. Please tell me he's okay!" I was almost begging her, and my own tears were flowing thick and fast, my breathing uneven.

I heard that Pam was moving through the club, probably as fast as she could without raising suspicion from the human patrons, and was obviously heading to Eric's office. I let out a sigh of relief when I heard Eric's voice, although I couldn't quite hear what he said. I heard Pam question him, and then mention my name. I had to admit that while I was still relieved he was okay; I was confused as to what was going on.

I heard her mutter an 'oh shit' from Pam before she came back to me. "Sookie, you need to get here as fast as you can."

I tried to ask her what was going on, but she'd hung up on me. I simply dropped my phone and stared at the TV.

"Sookie?" Amelia asked with a hand on my arm.

"There's something wrong with Eric. Pam told me to get there as soon as I can." But still I didn't move. Amelia looked over at Tray who stood up and grabbed the keys to his car.

"Come on," he said. Amelia pretty much dragged me to my feet and we all climbed into Tray's Buick as he drove us quickly in the direction of Shreveport. Amelia had been sitting in the back with me, but I couldn't find the words to tell her what was going on, and in honesty, I didn't really know myself.

When we arrived at Fangtasia, I could see an uncharacteristic look of concern on Pam's face as she led me silently back to Eric's office. I was so relieved to see him when we entered, but even I could tell something was wrong with him, and more so when Åsa held me back from running to him.

And now, I was sitting in his kitchen and he didn't remember who I was. And more than that, I was probably risking being drained. I knew I could teleport myself away from him if I had to, and I assumed that Eric had no idea about my Fae abilities. But I was devastated. How did this happen? We'd been so happy after we'd made up following our argument in Las Vegas, and although I hadn't seen too much of him as he was busy shoring up his empire, we spoke often and the time we did spend together was truly fantastic.

I hadn't heard Eric come back into the kitchen, and I jumped at seeing him suddenly standing the other side of the counter. I'd become accustomed to using the bond to sense Eric's presence, but now there was nothing.

"My room smells of you," he stated.

"It would do. I woke up with you there earlier this evening." It felt like months ago now.

"You are a telepath." Pam or Åsa had obviously told him.

"Yes."

"Can you hear me?"

"No. I can't hear vampires."

"We were bonded and pledged?"

"Yes."

"I killed De Castro for you." It was a statement rather than a question.

"Yes. And the Queen of Louisiana."

"How did we first meet?"

I tried not to be too impatient with Eric's questioning. A lot had happened between us, and although I found it very difficult, I knew that it had to be worse for him. So I started from the beginning, telling him about him approaching me to buy the land my Gran had left to me, how I ended up disclosing that I was a telepath and him giving his blood to me as a way of establishing whether I was telling the truth about not disclosing the fact that he was a vampire.

I explained as best as I could how we became closer, but I had known at the time that Eric found it difficult to accept that he loved me, even though I had felt the emotion from him long before he told me. And since meeting Åsa I could understand why. She'd been a big part of his life before me, and even though he may not have seen or even heard from her for centuries before he met me, I knew there was unfinished business between them. Business, which thanks to this curse, was again unfinished.

"You can mask your scent," he commented after a few minutes of silence. I could see that his eyes were on my neck, and I could only assume that he was hungry.

I swallowed thickly. I was slightly turned on by the look he was giving me, but I also knew how dangerous it was. "Yes. I need to so other vampires don't realise that I am part-Fae."

"You smell very sweet for someone who is only one quarter Fae." He stood up from his seat opposite me and walked slowly around the table. I kept my eyes on him as he approached me, bending down to inhale my scent as he ran his cool nose along my neck.

It was hard to not react to him, but he wasn't the same vampire I had known the day before. I wanted nothing more than to climb into his arms and let him dominate me like he so often did. But I knew that was a bad idea.

"My full fairy cousin … Claudine … she gave me some of her blood. It helped with my Fae abilities, but since then I have apparently apparently had a stronger Fae scent. We made sure that you fed from me as often as possible so you would be immune to my scent."

Eric didn't respond, but simply started kissing down my neck. From the faint scratch I received, I could tell his fangs were down, and he was holding me firmly in place. In an instant, he suddenly swept me up into his arms and flew me down into the underground lair where he slept, shutting the doors firmly behind him.

"I've changed the codes," he whispered into my neck, and I felt my fear spike. Sure, I could teleport myself away from him, but that he had done that was not a good sign.

"Eric, please don't."

"Don't what, Sookie?"

"Please don't hurt me."

He'd placed me on the bed, and I sat up and looked to him. His eyes were full of lust, and he started to slowly peel off his blue button-up shirt and undo his black jeans. He was already hard, and in any other circumstance I would have been as turned on as he was, but this was not the time.

I was momentarily distracted by my phone beeping in my pocket.

I looked to Eric, to see him with a slightly puzzled expression on his face. I took the opportunity to pull the phone out of my jeans and look at the screen. It was a message from Amelia who had obviously been talking to Pam and Åsa. It said: _You need to trust him and try to reignite the bond. Do everything he wishes and only teleport away if you have to. It may be the only way to break the curse._

I swallowed, my fear only increasing. If Amelia was wrong, then I'd end up dead.

I thrust my phone back into my pocket and looked back up at him. He beckoned to me, and I reluctantly did as he asked, standing up and moving closer to the naked vampire. "Fairy, I want you to stop masking your scent," he breathed into my hair as he ran a finger down my spine.

"Eric, I –"

"Do it." His tone was commanding.

"Okay." I did as he requested, slowly releasing my control but monitoring him for any adverse reaction.

His eyes dilated and there was a distinct look of hunger on his face. "I want you naked," he whispered, pulling at the bottom of my tank and lifting it up over my head. I allowed him to strip me, trying to keep myself from trembling with fear. His touch was so familiar, but at the same time completely alien as well. He slid his large hands behind my back and unhooked my bra, pushing it off my shoulders and letting it fall at my feet.

His eyes were fixed on my heaving breasts, and he placed both hands over them, as if he were trying them out for size. "Perfect," he muttered to himself before fingering my nipples and trailing his fingers down my abdomen to the top of my jeans. I swallowed as he carefully undid the button and zip before yanking them down, managing to peel my panties down with them so I was left standing completely naked in front of him.

"I can see why you are mine," he purred as his eyes ran over me. "I am going to enjoy draining you."

His tone was suddenly sinister and he grabbed me to him, my scream coming too late as he pinned me to the bed. I tried to struggle against him, but he was a strong cage around me, rubbing himself against me as he kissed down my neck.

Every instinct inside me was telling me to teleport away from him, or do something to push this danger away from me. I could feel my power swirling around me, each air molecule feeling charged. But I knew from experience that using my Fae abilities only made my scent stronger, and Eric's grip increased as he moaned and sank his fangs into my right breast.

He was moaning as he drank, pulling away after a few mouthfuls and staring at me with lust in his eyes. "Delicious … I must … you are mine!"

He moved down my body, his hands rubbing over my skin, and despite my fear, my body was responding to him. His eyes were dark as he dug his fingers deep into my thighs, massaging my skin and he placed his lips tightly over my clit, sucking hard as I almost leapt up off the bed in pleasure.

His touch was different – less caring and loving, and more about instant gratification. He drove a long finger deep inside me and managed to hit that sweet spot instantly despite the fact that he had no memory of how. For some reason, it gave me a glimmer of hope that maybe he was in there somehow, even on an instinctual level, and I trusted that it was what Amelia was referring to. I decided to go with him as much as I could in the hope that I too would be able to drink from him and reignite our bond.

I hoped, anyway.

It didn't take too much work from Eric before I was screaming out an orgasm as I came on his tongue, which had replaced his finger when I started to shudder. I screamed out his name and plunged my fingers into his hair, fighting for breath and some level of control.

Eric was wearing a self-satisfied smirk as he climbed back up my body, pinning me to the bed once more with the weight of his solid body and placing a deep kiss on my lips. I could taste myself on him, and I found my tongue wrapping around his fang as I clawed at his back – more to keep him in place than to fight against him.

"Delicious," he muttered once more, before he lined himself up and plunged into me in one slick move.

I cried out in pleasure, with Eric roaring the same, and he plunged his fangs deep into my neck, taking large gulps of my blood with reckless abandon. But his bite wasn't the usual, pleasurable one. It was harsher and more demanding, and it hurt more that his usual gentle caress. He was intoxicated by my blood, and his pounding into my increased as he changed position slightly to get deeper inside of me.

I could feel myself becoming weaker from his feeding, and again I was desperate to teleport away from him, but that wasn't going to help matters. That was my ace card if I needed it, as once I had used it, he was wily enough to know to bind me in iron. I clawed at him harder, smacking the back of his arms to try to attract his attention, but he simply pulled me closer to him.

What it did mean, however, was that his shoulder was within reach, and he leaned forward to bite at the joint between his neck and shoulder. I didn't hesitate to bite him, and where I was usually concerned about hurting him, I didn't have that concern this time as he clearly wasn't himself.

His blood tasted slightly different to normal, maybe earthier, and I wondered whether the curse had changed anything, or whether it was because he didn't have the exposure to my own blood. Eric hadn't seemed to notice that had bitten him and carried on feeding deeply, a deep growl coming from his chest.

"Eric," I cried at him, "please."

I could feel that some kind of bond had reformed, and although not as strong as our former one, it was definitely there. I sent him all the love and trust I could in the hope that he would stop draining me.

And what's more, I knew I didn't have the energy to teleport away from him.

I had to hope that Amelia would be right in trusting him not to kill me, and I began to feel my consciousness slipping away from me. I forced my eyes open as I felt Eric finally let go of me, his blue eyes suddenly softened.

But it was too late, and I had no option but to close my eyes once more. I heard a pained wail from somewhere, and I felt hands at my face, but I couldn't respond and instead slipped into the velvety darkness.

* * *

…

**Yeah, sorry for the cliffy …**

**Why has Eric been cursed so? Is another vampire behind this? Someone else who wants Sookie and Louisiana, or a remnant of De Castro's regime.**

**I'd love to know your thoughts.**

**Thanks for all the reviews, alerts and favourites – it thrills me that this has had nearly 1,100 reviews – thank you so much.**

**.**

**And I ****SO**** can't wait for True Blood tonight!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Sorry for the delay in posting this … it's been a busy week so I haven't had much spare time. I'm probably also going to have to cut back a bit, as I need to study for my diploma.**

**Anyhoo, thanks for the great reviews for the last chapter, here's the next one.**

* * *

I was disorientated. I had no idea where I was, but where I happened to be was completely beautiful.

The sun was high in the deep blue sky and shining strongly, the grass was a healthy green underfoot, and the fields were rolling away into the distance as far as I could see. I looked around, seeing that the landscape was dotted with a few perfect trees, and wildflowers littered the grass in patches – pinks, yellows, blues and purples in contrast to the green around. There was a gentle breeze blowing and the air was fresh and clean.

I looked down at myself, seeing that I was no longer naked as I had been, but barefoot and dressed in a dress made of a lightweight fabric that moved gently in the wind. The dress was floor-length, and seemed to be in a colour I couldn't name – it was almost as if the spectrum of light was different here and allowed for new colours.

"Hello?" I called out, but as I spun around 360 degrees there was no one in the vicinity.

I didn't know what had happened. Where was I? What was this place? Was this just my mind? Was this heaven? And did that mean that I was dead?

I sank to my knees at the thought of Eric killing me. I knew it wasn't his fault; he wasn't himself. But I was sure I saw a flicker of recognition in his eyes before I could stay awake no longer. Had the curse broken? Did he know what he had done? And if he did, what would happen to him if I died? I didn't even want to think about that, but I hoped that Pam and Åsa would look after him.

There were so many unanswered questions.

I heard the sound of a throat clearing from behind me, and I stood up and turned around quickly. I hadn't noticed before, but there was a narrow stream running through the land. And stood on the other side of the water were my parents.

"Mom? Dad?"

My mom gave me a kind smile. "Sookie."

I ran in their direction, ready to hurdle the stream, but both of them shouted at me to stop. I did as they asked, stopping on the edge of the water and almost within touching distance of my long-dead parents. Which meant, quite simply, that I must be dead as well. And that thought was terrifying.

"What's going on? Where are we?"

"This is the Summerlands, Sookie."

"The Summerlands?" I queried, not having heard that name before. "Is it heaven?"

"Close enough," my mom said before pausing. "Well, your father and I are in the Summerlands. You are in between worlds. Some may call it limbo, but here it is simply known as the In-between."

"The stream separates us?"

"Yes," my mom said with a sad smile.

"What does all this mean?"

"It means that you have a choice to make. If you cross over the stream you will leave your earthly life and live with us, and your Fae relatives."

"Fae? This place is just for fairies?"

"Yes. This is where the Fae go when they die."

"And Gran?"

"She is not here; she was human," my dad told me with sorrow in his voice. "But your grandfather Fintan is here, as well as your grandmother Alana, who was killed only a few years ago in your timeline."

This was all a little bit too much to take in. I sat back down on the soft grass and simply stared at my parents. They were exactly as I remembered them, my mom beautiful with blonde hair that matched mine and soft blue eyes and my dad handsome and so much like Jason. In human years, they probably weren't much older than I was, since they'd died in their mid-thirties. It was very surreal seeing them again, and I still wasn't quite sure whether my oxygen-starved brain was playing tricks on me.

"And if I go back?" I asked them after a few moments of silence.

"You will go back to your life. But no one can say what will happen to you."

"Meaning?"

"You are very close to death, Sookie. If you had died completely you wouldn't be given this chance to make a choice, but if you go back things may not be the same."

"Meaning?" I repeated. It seemed my parents had learned the Fae trick of being vague.

"Your vampire lover," my mom said.

"What about Eric?"

She gave me a sad smile. "I cannot tell you. You must make your own decision."

"I choose him." It was not even choice. Even if he didn't remember me, I would choose him. We could make new memories, and I was sure that Amelia and Octavia could find a way to lift the curse. My parents nodded, a slight look of sadness in their eyes at the prospect of me choosing not to join them. "I love him," I reasoned.

"We know." They were still being annoyingly cryptic.

"What do I do now?" I asked them. "How do I get back?"

I turned to look around for some kind of door or any indication of what I was meant to do, but I saw nothing. And when I turned back to look across the stream, my parents too had disappeared.

I growled in frustration as I started to walk in the opposite direction to the stream. This place was surreal, and since my parents had seemingly appeared out of thin air, I wondered whether more things would happen.

I was proved right when my great-grandfather appeared in front of me looking elegant in a sharp suit, his pale blond hair tied tightly back.

"Niall?"

"Sookie, my child."

I had to admit that I wasn't too sure about him being all pally with me considering the fact that his action had led me to be almost drained the first time, and he had completely ignored Eric's calls.

"Why are you here?"

"I had to see you, and this is the only place I cannot be traced."

"Do you want to explain what that means?" I wasn't in the mood for his bullshit, and god knows what was going on in the real world while I was stuck here.

"I have told you before that the Fae are at war. I have feared that if I contact you my enemies will discover you. It is why I have not been able to see you, and why I have not responded to your vampire. Claudine was not as closely watched as I was, but she was always careful when she came to see you."

"Okay…" I prompted, waiting for him to continue.

"It seems, however, that I have not been successful in keeping you safe."

He had a look of genuine sorrow on his face. "Why do you say that?"

"The curse on Eric. I have information that has led me to believe that the witches were put up to this by my nephew Breandon."

"Nephew?"

He sighed. "Yes. He believes that our line has been polluted with human blood, and he has a vendetta to eradicate any fairy with less than half blood. He believes that the Fae infertility is due to the human blood in our line."

"Why?"

"Human blood is high in iron, which is poisonous to the Fae."

"You don't believe that?"

"No, I don't."

"And the curse – has it been broken?"

"Only you can find that out," he said, turning vague once more. "If you believe that it has, and you return, then you will find out." He approached me and took my hand. "It is up to you whether you trust that your vampire is no longer cursed."

"And if I am wrong?"

"Then next time you won't get this choice."

I took a deep breath. I had said that I would choose Eric over anything, and I was also sure I saw some recognition in his eyes. "It is no choice to make. And I have nothing to lose! If I cross over to the Summerlands now, I will never know. I have to go back. And if I die, then I will not have the choice, as you say."

However, I could tell that something I had said was not wholly accurate. "It cannot be guaranteed that next time you would come to the Summerlands. You could end up in Purgatory."

"Fuck."

"I cannot help you, Sookie. It has to be your decision."

"While I am here … what is happening in my world?"

"Time works differently in both worlds. Time is frozen here, yet in other places moves much faster. In your world, time is not moving on."

Okay, that was a relief, at least. "Why did you make me drink Claudine's blood when you knew it would cause Eric to attack me?"

"He would not have hurt you," he said resolutely. "The bond would not have allowed him to cause you any harm. It is why this curse had to break the bond. It required powerful magic, and more than those witches would have been capable of. It is why I know there was Fae involvement."

"Can I become vampire?"

Niall grimaced. "It is likelihood, if Eric feeds you his own blood. Do you wish to become vampire?"

"I have always said not, but to live without him …"

"You have the ability to live a long time and not age like other humans. You are part-Fae, but with your vampire's blood you will remain young for many centuries."

"If I choose that option."

He smiled sadly. "True."

So the question was: was I willing to risk a life in purgatory if Eric did kill me? Did I trust that he had recovered himself? Would I want to become vampire if that was my only option?

But my overriding thought was that if Eric was of his right mind, and I died, then he might not survive. Sure, if he didn't remember me then he would be no worse off, but I couldn't take that chance.

I looked up at my great-grandfather. "I wish to go back."

He took my hand in his, and I felt a sudden movement and a whooshing noise in my ears as I spiralled away from the In-between and towards, what I assumed, to be my body in the human world.

I prayed I had made the right choice.

.

**Eric**

"Sookie!" I wailed as I looked down at her naked and lifeless form in my arms. I retracted my fangs and licked away the blood on her neck, biting my tongue in an attempt to heal her gushing wound. That worked, at least.

I felt like I was waking from some dreadful nightmare where I hadn't been in control of my own body.

Yet I knew it was no nightmare.

I remembered every moment, even word that I had spoken to Sookie, how I didn't recognise her as my wife and bonded. How I had made a move on my former lover, and I shuddered to think how I had told Åsa that I would kill Sookie to be with her. I was grateful to my child for pushing me away, but now I needed her and Pam.

As I stared down at my wife, I called hard to both of my children, pulling them to me and not caring that Åsa was meant to still be in the basement of Fangtasia. The anguish that was shooting through my body was horrific and caused me physical and incapacitating pain. The bond was back, albeit not as strong as before, but I could feel her agony and I could tell that her life force was quickly slipping away with every passing second.

I didn't hesitate to bite viciously into my own wrist and held it over her mouth. I listened carefully, although even with my hearing it was a struggle to hear the faint sound of her heart beating, and I knew it didn't have many beats left. She was so close to death that I didn't know whether my blood would be enough. And if it was, would this turn her?

She was on the brink of death; I had almost drained her body of blood. If I fed her now would she rise again vampire? Sookie had told me that she didn't want to become vampire – would she hate me if I made her one? I hoped she would forgive me if I did.

I cradled her in my arms, biting my own wrist once more when the wound resealed and holding her so the blood would flow down her throat. I was so focused on my wife in my arms that I didn't notice the arrival of Åsa and Pam until Pam was hammering on the outer door.

"Eric, I can't get in. Have you changed the code?"

I had completely forgotten about that. I scooped Sookie up in my arms and entered the new code to allow both of my children to enter the room. I took a moment to wrap Sookie up in a sheet so her modesty was protected, and I pulled on a pair of sleep pants.

"Eric?" Åsa queried.

"I don't know … I wasn't myself… Fuck!"

Pam placed a hand on my upper arm. "We know. What can we do?" she looked between Åsa and me.

"Do you want to turn her?" Åsa asked before I said anything.

"I don't know. But I don't think she'd want it." I sank back down onto the bed and stroked Sookie's cheek. She was so pale and there was still no sign of life from her despite the large amount of my blood she'd had.

"Giving her my blood may help," Åsa told me. I gave her a querying look. "I am part-Fae as well, and if she feeds from more than one of us it will mean she may not turn."

She had a point. If a human was given blood from more than one vampire, it had been known that they wouldn't turn, as a Maker couldn't be established. Of course, it was not often that a human would be given blood by more than one vampire, so it happened rarely, but it had been known.

"You would do that?"

"So would I," Pam piped in as Åsa nodded.

I gave a relieved smile to both of them. It was Pam that acted first, biting into her wrist and holding it over Sookie's mouth as I cradled her still form in my arms. I stroked her hair and whispered to her in my ancient language, apologising to her over and over again and letting her know how much I loved and needed her.

"You need to be strong," Åsa told me, pulling me from my thoughts. "She is going to need you."

Pam fed her until the wound closed, then Åsa bit deeply into her own wrist and fed my wife. I was grateful to both of them for offering their blood to save her, and my only hope was that it worked.

I had to admit that as Åsa continued to drop her blood down Sookie's throat, I was starting to think that maybe I was too late. I could tell that she was not becoming vampire, but there was still no sign of life from her.

I shut my eyes and rested my head against her hair. I didn't know what I'd do without her, and that her death was at my hands was unacceptable on my part. Whoever cursed me was going to pay for her death.

And then I would consider meeting the sun.

My tears were gently sliding down my face and onto Sookie, but I didn't care about letting Pam or Åsa see me be so weak. They both knew what I felt for Sookie, and could feel my anguish.

"Eric," Åsa said gently, a hand on the back of my head and stroking gently.

"Don't …"

"Eric," she repeated, but this time I could hear a smile in her voice. I lifted my head and looked down at my wife, suddenly hearing the sound of her heart beating as she took a few shallow breaths.

I had never been more relieved in my long life, and I listened to her heart getting stronger as she continued to drink from my eldest child. When the wound closed, Åsa bit into her wrist once more without hesitation, and I could see that Sookie was starting to swallow the blood of her own accord.

"Hey," I said to Sookie, stroking her cheek to encourage her eyes to open. "Sookie? Love, open your eyes. Please be okay." She did as I asked, looking up at me.

I let out a wail of relief and hugged her closer to me, but being careful not to hurt her any more.

"I am so sorry, Sookie. Please forgive me?"

"Not your fault," she croaked out.

I placed a soft kiss to her lips and looked up at Åsa and Pam. They were both smiling down at Sookie and I, and I wondered how much they could feel from her since she'd had both of their blood.

"It may be a good idea to call Ludwig," Pam pointed out.

"Do it."

Pam disappeared to make the call, while Åsa knelt down next to us. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay … considering I died."

I was startled by her revelation, and could see that my child was too. "What do you mean?"

I carefully moved Sookie to lay her down inside the bed and laid down next to her, my fingers tracing gently down her arm. She was still wrapped in the sheet, but I pulled the comforter up over her to keep her warm. Åsa went to get her a bottle of water.

"Thank you," she smiled at Åsa, who nodded once at her. Sookie took the bottle and downed half of it.

"What happened, love?"

"I … I really don't know. I was in limbo, I think … and my parents were both there. It was beautiful, with green grass and trees, and blue skies. They told me I had to make a choice – to cross over to the Summerlands – whatever that is – or come back." I knew of the Summerlands; it was a certainly a place of some interest to vampires. She met my eyes, a soft expression on her face. "I chose you."

I felt a blood red tear spill down my cheek, and Sookie lifted her hand to wipe it away, popping the finger in her mouth.

"Sookie … I … I could have killed you. Hell, I probably did kill you. Yet you still chose to come back to me?"

"I would chose you over all others, myself included."

I leaned down and rested my head against hers, and she drove her fingers into my hair. I loved her with every inch of my body, and I swore that I would kill all who were associated to those witches who had cursed me.

"I saw Niall," Sookie announced, causing me to move back up and look into her eyes.

"Niall?"

"Yes. He said that limbo … or wherever I was … was the one place he couldn't be traced."

"Meaning?" I snapped, not meaning to snap at her, but pissed that he may have had some involvement in all this.

"You sound like me," she said to herself with a smile in a reference I obviously wasn't meant to understand. "The Fae are at war, and he has feared that my connection to him would be traced if he contacted you or me here. He told me that he thought the Fae – and in particular his nephew Breandon – was involved in the witches cursing you."

I couldn't help the low growl that coursed through my body, and I noticed that Sookie flinched from me slightly. It was certainly enough to get myself back under control, and I placed a kiss on her head.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. But I will rip that fairy to shreds if he is to blame for this. Maybe I will destroy him anyway."

"Breandon is well protected," Åsa said from the other side of the room. I had completely forgotten she was even there. "It would not be wise to go searching for him."

"I'm with her on this one," Sookie told me, placing a hand on my upper arm.

"I fully intend on killing him."

"Maybe," my child observed, "but not yet. Let him come to you. He obviously knows of yours and Sookie's relationship. Be prepared, but don't attack until you have the upper hand."

Åsa knew that I was a strategist, and I had to admit the she was right. If I went after him now I would leave Sookie exposed, and she was my number one priority. A noise at the door made me turn to see Pam walking in with the miniature doctor. Dr Ludwig was not my favourite being, but she was damned good at what she did – even if her costs did reflect it.

"This is the human?" she asked as she stomped over to our direction. "Get back, vampire. I wish to examine her." I growled, but she took little notice of me. "However, you are not entirely human, are you?"

Sookie looked to me, and I nodded. "I am one quarter Fae."

"What happened here then?" she was looking down at the blood stained sheets.

My wife looked at me once more before explaining to the doctor. "Eric was cursed so that he didn't remember that I was his wife and bonded. The bond was broken and my blood intoxicated him. He drank too much, but stopped just in time as the curse broke." Not entirely accurate, but a good enough account for the doctor.

Dr Ludwig looked between Sookie and I. "Evidently it has. But you live?"

I spoke up this time. "She had blood from both my children and I. It is why she has not turned."

Dr Ludwig raised an eyebrow yet said nothing. "Child, you will need Fae and human blood as well. And where I am certain this vampire has many bags of blood lying around, I do not expect that there are too many fairies around on tap." She was obviously amused by what she had said, however I was not.

"I am one-quarter Fae," Åsa spoke up, and the doctor turned to look at her. "She has had my blood already."

"That should work," she dismissed. "Human blood then. Child, do you know your blood group?"

"No … I have never really been sick before."

"I cannot tell either," I added. "She tastes different to almost all other humans."

"Fine. Get me some O-negative." I looked to Pam who was already zipping out of the room. "Child, my name is Dr Ludwig."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Sookie Stackhouse."

Pam quickly reappeared with the blood and a cup for Sookie to drink it from. "Would you like me to warm it?" she asked Sookie.

The doctor, however, turned and gave Pam an incredulous look. "Vampires," she muttered before pulling out some instruments from her case, including a pole that extended, and a base to fix it into. She also pulled out some tubing and needles. I can't say I was too happy about what the doctor was doing.

"It's okay, Eric," Sookie assured me, obviously sensing my unease. "This is the traditional human method of blood transfusion." She had a smile in her voice, and I was sure I heard the normally stoic doctor chuckle.

"I like her," she said turning to me after she'd set up the IV for Sookie. "She doesn't take any of your normal bullshit." I growled again, but was ignored. "Miss Stackhouse, I am prescribing a week of bed rest. You have had a traumatic event that nearly killed you, and although you may have had plenty of vampire blood, you need to take the time to let your body regenerate itself." She paused briefly. "Are you magical?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"Well, not this week, you're not. Nothing too strenuous either." She gave me a pointed look.

Once the IV was emptied, Dr Ludwig packed up and left. She'd informed me that she would come by in a week to check on Sookie, but she expected my wife to make a full recovery.

I could feel that Sookie was relieved to know that there shouldn't be any lasting damage, although she was nowhere near as relieved as I was. I sat back down on the bed next to her and carefully picked up her hand. I knew Sookie and I needed to talk about what happened, but I needed to know she was okay first.

"Can I get you anything? Are you hungry?"

"I could eat. But I really feel the need for a bath right now. Then maybe I can talk to all of you?" She looked up to Pam and Åsa as well, who both nodded their consent.

"I will order you a meal from a local restaurant," Pam announced, to which Sookie thanked her. When we were alone, I carried her into the bathroom and placed her gently into the Jacuzzi bath, which I had always kept at the right temperature for her.

"Are you not joining me?"

"I wasn't sure if you wanted me to."

"Of course I do, Eric."

I quickly shed by sleep pants and climbed in next to her. "I am so sorry, Sookie," I started, but she leaned across and placed a finger over my lips.

"I know you are. Our bond may not be as strong as it was, but I can feel the guilt rolling off you in waves. It was not your fault. I knew you weren't yourself, and I know that you will never intentionally harm me. I love you, Eric. And … and when given the choice I could only choose to be with you. There was no other option."

"Thank you," I whispered, pulling her onto my lap. I felt her body relax into me, and her breathing and heart rate both dropped to show that she was asleep. I stayed with her for half an hour before Pam called to me to say that Sookie's meal had arrived.

"Sookie, wake up, love." She opened her eyes and smiled up at me. "Your food is here. Let's get you dried off and go upstairs."

She agreed with me, and after towelling off I helped her into a pair of cute boy shorts, silk pyjamas and a full-length robe. I could sense a slight annoyance from her that I was helping her too much, but I was willing to feel her wrath. She was going to be looked after whether she liked it or not. I carried her upstairs to the kitchen where Åsa and Pam were waiting, and Sookie's meal was laid out for her.

She ate hungrily, and I was pleased to see that Pam had thought to order extra food for her and along with some form of dessert, which Sookie wolfed down.

"I'd like to thank all of you," she said once she'd eaten. She turned to each of us, and although I could understand her thanking Åsa and Pam for giving her their blood, there was no reason to thank me. I was the one that had caused the problem, after all. "Eric, stop with the guilt already! I have told you that I don't blame you, and I mean it. But thanks to you two as well," she smiled at both of my children. "You didn't have to help me."

"Of course I did," Pam told her. "No one else puts up with him like you do. You keep him in line." Sookie smiled at her, and I rolled my eyes.

Åsa shrugged. "I like you. And you are good for him. You two belong together."

I appreciated her comments, particularly considering what had happened earlier on in the evening. Sookie spent some time chatting with Pam and Åsa, while I simply held her hand. I was incredibly grateful that she had been saved, and I swore that I would never put her in that position again. I was definitely moving the running of the Kingdom to the Area Five buildings, and I was increasing the security tenfold.

After Åsa and Pam left, I led Sookie back down stairs – since she refused to be carried – and changed the sheets before pulling her into bed with me.

"I am sorry."

"Eric, what have I said about apologising?"

"I know. But some of the things I did when cursed were unforgiveable."

"You remember everything?"

"Yes. But it's almost as if it was a dream – or nightmare. I felt like someone else was possessing my body, but I didn't realise it at the time. If it wasn't for Pam and Åsa …"

"What happened?" she asked gently as I trailed off.

There was a part of me that didn't want to tell Sookie about what I had done, as I didn't want to hurt her. But I also knew it would be best to tell her the truth.

"When the curse first affected me, I ordered Pam to bring me a brunette. I'm ashamed to say that I was fully planning on biting and fucking her. Of course Pam refused, telling me about you, but I had no recollection of who you were. And then I felt that Åsa was closer than I expected her to be."

Sookie swallowed thickly, obviously fearing where this was going.

"The curse meant that for some reason I had forgotten that she was in Louisiana, and I went down to the basement and pulled her from her coffin." I looked Sookie in the eye. "I kissed her … but she didn't respond, and I couldn't understand why. I was confused … I didn't know why Åsa was refusing me, why she was even here or how she knew Pam."

"Okay…" I could feel that Sookie's emotions were somewhat mixed and confused.

"They explained that I had been cursed, but I wasn't sure I believed them. Pam explained I would find your scent all over my house, but I had absolutely no memory of you. I spoke with Åsa and asked her to be my queen, but again she refused. She told me that you and I were meant to be together, and dismissed me when I said I'd glamour you."

"Wow."

I looked down, not able to meet her eye for the final part. "I … I even said that I would kill you."

Neither one of us said anything for a few minutes, and I other than when Sookie had been laying lifeless in my arms, I couldn't remember a time when I was more scared. What if she didn't want me anymore? What would I do without her?

"But you didn't," she eventually said, placing a hand on my cheek. "I'll admit that it's not easy to hear, but I thank you for being honest and I know that you were not yourself. I mean … if you had no memory of me, why wouldn't you want her?" I got the feeling that she was trying to convince herself as much as me.

"I hate that I have hurt you, in more ways than one."

"As I have said – it's not your fault. You were cursed."

She pushed herself down into the bed so that her head was resting on my chest, her fingers gently stroking my side and her leg resting on top of mine. I buried my own head into her hair and breathed in her unique and beautiful scent.

"I don't know what I'd have done without you," I whispered into her hair. "I'd certainly have done anything to find those responsible and kill them all. Then … then I think I would have met the sun."

"NO!" she yelled at me. I felt a jolt of anger from her, and she moved quickly so that she was sitting up, and smacked me on the chest at the same time. I had to admit to being surprised at her reaction. "Eric, you have to promise me that you will never do that."

I smiled softly and tucked her hair behind her ears. "I can't do that, Sookie. You are everything to me. I wouldn't be able to continue without you, particularly if it was at my own hands."

"Please?" she had tears in her eyes.

"I love you so much. There is no point in my existence if you are not by my side." I leaned over and kissed her. "But it is irrelevant. Nothing is going to happen to either you or me." Of course, I knew that as she wasn't a vampire she wouldn't live as long as me, but I wasn't going to go into that now.

"You know, when I was … wherever … Niall told me that I was likely to live a long time thanks to my fairy blood and your continued blood. Assuming you don't make me vampire, that is."

I felt a surge of love warm my long dead heart. "I didn't think you wanted that."

She shrugged. "I'd prefer to be alive, but I want to be with you, and if becoming vampire is the only option, then I will take that."

I wrapped my arms around her once more, before kissing the top of her head and climbing off the bed. I could feel Sookie's confusion as her eyes followed me (or my ass, anyway) and I walked into my office, removed what I wanted and went back to her. I stopped in front of her and held out a hand so that she was sat up on the edge of the bed. I knelt down in front of her and opened up the small box.

"Sookie Stackhouse, will you do me the great honour of becoming my wife?"

She was shocked, yet happy, and I could see tears springing to her eyes once more. "I hate to cast a downer, but aren't we already married?" She was smiling at me.

"By my tradition, yes."

"You'd marry me by human laws?"

"Yes, if you'll have me." She still hadn't given me an answer.

"Of course I'll marry you!" she flung her arms around me and pressed her body into mine. It took all my restraint to not through her onto the bed and ravish her, remembering what Dr Ludwig had warned me.

When she pulled away from me I slid the six-carat blue diamond platinum ring onto her finger. It fitted perfectly and looked spectacular on her hand.

"Do I want to know how much this costs?"

"No," I said with a smile. I knew she'd probably stake me if she found out I'd spent over seven million dollars on it.

"When did you get this?" she was gazing down at her hand with a smile on her face.

"A month or so ago. I was surfing the internet, and I saw the auction. I knew it would be perfect for you." I took her hand and placed a kiss on the back.

"Is it even legal for us to wed?" she had a knowing smile on her face.

"I may have to forge some documents. Do you think I look twenty-eight?"

"Not a fucking chance!" she spat. I was surprised at her sudden change of mood. "There is no fucking way I am going to be older than you!" I couldn't help but laugh aloud at her aversion.

"Fine. How old do you wish me to be?"

"I'll agree to forty."

"Not likely. Thirty-two?"

"Thirty-five."

"Deal." I held out my hand for her to shake. "It's likely that when vampires make themselves known, the human authorities will not allow us to marry humans. However, if we're already married then there is nothing they can do."

"So we're getting married this summer then?"

"Yes, although maybe in September when the nights are longer."

"I suppose you want this at night then?" she joked.

"It may be a good idea," I said with a smile.

She pulled me to her and started to remove her clothing. "I need you."

"Sook, you heard what the doctor said …"

"So be gentle."

I wasn't going to turn down that offer, and within seconds I had disposed of my own clothes and joined her on the bed.

* * *

**So, a marriage by human laws and all looks okay. But what of the renegade fairies? And the upcoming Great Revelation?**

**I'd love to know your thoughts.**

**;)**


	24. Chapter 24

**So, the next chapter …**

**I've been struggling with this a little lately, and this chapter turned out different to how I expected, but that's the fun of writing like this, sometimes the story has a mind of its own…**

* * *

**Sookie**

There were cool lips on my most sensitive area and hands on my breasts. And from somewhere, more hands massaging my shoulders.

I opened my eyes and looked down to see the blonde head of Pam between my legs, a smirk in her eyes as she continued to lick my clit and pushed a slender three fingers deep inside me, curling upwards to hit just right at that sensitive spot.

I was shocked to see her there, but a soft hand was placed on my cheek and I turned my head to see Åsa's kind green eyes staring back at me, her shiny brown hair tumbling around her face as she leaned in to kiss me. "Do not fret, Sookie. We will look after you." She moved down my body and took my left nipple into her mouth, running her cool tongue over it and sending shock waves coursing through my body.

"What about Eric?" I moaned.

"I am here, Sookie," his deep voice said from behind me, and he leaned down to place a sensuous kiss on my lips. All three vampires were naked, and with their attentions on my body, I was quickly being worked up into an almighty orgasm. I shut my eyes tightly and allowed the triple sensations of their hands and tongues work me.

"Sookie?"

"Keep going," I groaned.

"Sookie?" Eric's voice was amused. "Are you awake?"

I opened my eyes again and looked down, but Pam was no longer there and neither was Åsa. Instead, Eric has lying on his side next to me with an amused smirk on his face.

"Nice dream?" he asked with a knowing smile.

I felt my face flush and I tried to hide in his cool chest. "Please tell me this will wear off," I muttered into him. It had been three nights since I'd had Åsa and Pam's blood, and if anything I was sure that the dreams were getting worse.

He rearranged us so that I was sat up on his lap facing him, his hands softly on my hips. "The dreams will fade if the connection is not strengthened. Although you will always be connected to them both."

"I'm grateful to them both for helping me."

"Not as grateful as I am," he said with a sigh. I could see a sadness in his eyes once more, and guilt pouring off him, even though I couldn't feel him as much as I used to be able to.

"Stop it, Eric. I do not blame you. I have told you that enough times already, and I mean it. You can feel how much I mean it."

"I can. But that will not change the fact that it was me that nearly drained you."

"It wasn't you. You weren't yourself." I leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his lips. Our bond wasn't yet fully restored, as I assumed that we needed to exchange blood once more for it to reform fully. But I had to say that I really did miss it. I missed being able to feel and sense him, and the closeness and trust that brought between us.

"So what was the dream?" Eric asked after a minute or so of silence between us. I instantly felt my face flush at the thought.

"You don't want to know."

"Lover, I can assure you I do. Were Pam and Åsa both there? Was I there? What were they doing to you? It certainly looked like you were enjoying yourself."

I slapped his chest and buried my head in the crook of his neck. "Please make them stop!" I cried into his chest.

He coaxed me gently away from his chest so that he could look my eyes. "If we complete our bond it should reduce the connection you have to both Åsa and Pam."

"I want to do that anyway," I said, placing my hand on his cheek. "But if you're telling me those dreams will stop, then I'm definitely all for it."

Eric had given me his blood once since the night I was nearly drained, but he was tiptoeing around me like I was made of glass, and god help me if I tried to do anything myself. He was really taking Dr Ludwig's command of bed rest to its literal meaning, although I was sure she didn't mean I wasn't supposed to leave bed at all.

"Come here."

I snuggled up close to him again and Eric gently ran his fingers down my neck. Eric had only been taking small sips of my blood since he nearly drained me, and although we'd had sex, it was gentle and revering. Not that that was a bad thing, as I loved having sex with him in any way, but I knew he was torturing himself for what happened.

We were both already naked, and following my dream, I was pretty turned on already. Eric's fingers ran down to my hips and slipped between my legs, a long finger entering into me and immediately finding that sweet spot. I nuzzled into his chest and rolled us over onto our sides, lifting my leg onto his hips as he ground his long cock into my belly and worked me to a quick orgasm.

Once he withdrew his finger, he licked it clean then sat back up on the bed, his long legs crossed in front of him and his gracious plenty standing proud. He gave me a sexy smile and beckoned me to come up to him.

Once I crawled over, he lifted me with ease so that I was gently impaled on him, and he wrapped his body around me, my legs tightly around back, and his gently caressing my back. He was deep inside of me and it was a very intimate position. I pulled him into a kiss as he rocked gently against each other. This wasn't speedy lovemaking, but I was deliciously full of him and I loved being able to gaze into his eyes.

I could slowly feel my orgasm growing, and when Eric sank his fangs gently into my neck, I exploded around him. I also bit hard into his shoulder, and my husband let out an almighty roar as I felt him swell inside me and his cool seed enter me. He laid me back down after we'd both calmed down and went to run a bath for both of us, which he insisted he carried me into.

We spent the rest of the night pretty much attached to each other, and we both experimented with our bond, pleased that it was fully back in force. I felt comforted feeling Eric's presence inside me once more, although I could still feel his guilt no matter how hard he tried to keep that emotion from me.

I had to admit that Dr Ludwig was right about me feeling fatigued following my ordeal, and I dropped off to sleep after Eric and I had watched two out of the three _Lord of the Rings_ films. I knew that he tended to work once I'd dropped off to sleep, and I was more than aware that he was neglecting his duties to keep an eye on me. Not that he'd admit so much, however.

The next day I woke with my alarm blaring at midday as Amelia was coming over to see me at one in the afternoon. I'd told her what had happened after Eric took me from Fangtasia that night, but she certainly hadn't been as forgiving of Eric as I had been.

"Hey Sook," she said with a smile as I opened the door to her. I'd taken the time to shower and change, but I was only wearing a pair of old comfy jeans and a t-shirt. She gave me a warm hug then pulled back from me. "You look a little pale honey."

I sighed. "I know. The doctor gave me some supplements, but she said that I needed a week of taking it easy. But really, I'm going stir-crazy. Eric's trying to ban me from even getting out of bed, but I've been doing a little work when I can during the day."

Amelia nodded. "Has the bond been reformed?"

"Yeah, we did that last night. I really missed it; I missed the closeness to him. But he feels so guilty about what happened, and no matter how many times I tell him and show him that I don't blame him, it doesn't seem to sink in with him."

After making Amelia a mug of coffee (decaf for her being a pregnant lady) I led her into the comfortable lounge and we both sank down into opposite ends of the sofa. "What happened for him to feel so guilty about? I get the feeling we're talking about more than the draining?"

She was quite right, and I told her about what had apparently happened between Eric and Åsa. I hadn't spoken to Åsa since the night she gave me her blood, but there was a part of me that wanted to have a chat with her to get her side of the story.

"And how do you feel about it?" my friend asked.

That was the question. For the most part I hadn't let Eric know quite how annoyed and upset I was to learn that he had made a move on his ex-girlfriend. I knew that he wasn't himself and that he had no memory of me, but both Pam and Åsa had told him that he had a wife, and he completely disregarded me.

"It hurts," I admitted, out loud for the first time. "And don't get me wrong, if it wasn't for Åsa I probably would be dead now considering I needed fairy blood and she was the one that provided it. And I know she's like my cousin …"

"But?"

"But I still feel insecure around her, and knowing that Eric forgot me so easily and went running to her is painful. I love him so much … and I can feel how much he loves me, but when it comes to her there are always mixed emotions from him, or he blocks me a little." I took a deep breath to compose myself, and a large gulp of coffee. "Sometimes I wonder if he knows he's even doing it, and I can understand that it must be difficult. He was with her for over three-hundred and fifty years and she's his child, and pretty much broke his heart when she left him for her child Mathieu."

"And now you're tied to her as well."

I grimaced a little. "Exactly. Which means that she can feel my emotions, so will probably realise that something is up."

"What do you do?"

"What can I do?" I answered with a shrug.

Amelia sighed. "Maybe you need to be completely honest with Eric and tell him what you think about her, and about how it upset you he went to her so quickly."

I wasn't so sure about that. I hated keeping things from Eric, but I didn't want to hurt him. "He already feels so guilty, if he knew that I was concerned about what happened between him and Åsa he'd only feel worse."

"You're hiding your emotions from him then?"

"I'm trying not to think about her, to be honest, not when Eric's awake anyway."

"Do you know if she has plans to leave? Isn't she like some powerful vampire in Sweden? She's already been here for over a month."

"I don't know what her plans are. But I'm kind of surprised she has stuck around for so long – it makes me wonder whether Eric has asked her to stay."

"You think that's a possibility?"

"I don't know." Amelia came over and wrapped her arms around my shoulders.

"Sookie, what is that?" She was looking down at the large sapphire on my left hand.

I smiled. "An engagement ring. I'm marrying Eric by human laws."

"You what what?"

I was grinning now. "He asked me to marry him by human tradition, being that we're already married by vampire law."

"Wow."

"I know."

"You're happy about this?"

"Why wouldn't I be? I'm marrying the man I love. And this time it's not just for some political move. I love him."

"I know you do sweetie…"

I narrowed my eyes at her. "But?"

"Well … didn't he just try to drain you? Hadn't he just made a move on his ex-girlfriend? Are you sure he's not just doing this out of guilt?"

"He wouldn't have the ring if that was the case. I'm sure it's something he's been planning for ages. He's always the type to think things through to the nth degree. I'll admit that his timing was odd considering I had practically died that night, but he was so sweet and romantic, and it's what I want. I want to be able to call myself Sookie Northman."

I did love the sound of that. "Is it even legal?"

"He may have to fake some documents since he can't exactly give his real age, but it's not as if the rest of the world knows about vampires right now. The ceremony will obviously be at night, but I was thinking we could get married here or in Bon Temps, and light the place with hundreds of candles and fairy lights …"

Amelia grinned at me. "Got this all worked out, haven't you?"

"I haven't had much else to do this week!" I took her hand. "Will you be my maid of honour?"

"Of course!" she squealed, wrapping her arms tightly around me. "When you're not on house arrest we'll have to go shopping and find that perfect dress for you. We may need to make it New Orleans as the choices will much better…"

I was pleased that Amelia was so keen on me getting married, and we both got wrapped up in the moment, not even noticing that it was dark until a shirtless Eric appeared in the doorway with an amused smirk on his face.

"You two are loud enough to wake the dead," he deadpanned.

"Funny," I said, getting up and walking to him. His eyes were on mine, and I ran my hands over his firm abs and pecks before reaching the back of his neck and pulling him down to me for a searing kiss. I could feel from the bond how turned on he was, and I wasn't far behind him. Eric picked me up off the floor, and I wrapped my legs around him, grinding myself onto the bulge in his loose sleep pants.

"Okay … I think I'll be off. I'm not sure I want to watch you two going at it against the wall."

I turned to Amelia, a pink blush on my cheeks, but Eric wouldn't let me out of the position I was in.

"I'm so sorry. I just …"

"Yeah … got distracted." She was smirking as well.

"You're welcome to stay and watch, witch," Eric told her, to which I slapped him on the chest. Eric was mine, I didn't want her to see him in his full glory.

"I'll pass on that, thanks, vampire," she snarked back. Eric was simply grinning, and I rolled my eyes at the pair of them.

Eric put me down and I showed my friend out, before heading to the kitchen where I warmed a bag of blood for Eric and made myself a meal of rare steak, baked potato and green beans.

"You have something on your mind," he mused as we sat down together at the counter.

I wasn't sure I wanted to bring it up, and I didn't realise I was being so obvious. "I was wondering about Åsa," I said, trying to suppress the jealousy I still felt for her. Eric raised an eyebrow and waited for me to continue. "How long is she staying?"

"I have asked her to stay until at least the end of the year." Well that answered my other question. I tried my best to keep my mood light.

"How come?"

"To protect you."

"Come again?"

He sighed and pulled me to him, burying his head in my hair. "I was going to tell you this tonight anyway, but it was only last night that I asked her to stay. She'd been given an ultimatum by her Queen to return back to Sweden or make a decision. I had to compensate the Queen, but that is irrelevant. But the fact is, there are still those out there who will do you harm, and the more vampires I have looking out for you the better. And as you have had her blood, she will be able to track you should anything happen to you. And that is not something other Fae or vampires would realise."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that even if something happened to me, she would still be able to find you. You are her kin, and she and Pam have sworn to me that they will protect you with their undead lives. I will not let anything happen to you Sookie, and with this new threat of Breandon, I am only going to increase my security around you. And myself, for that matter."

I had to admit that I understood Eric's reasons for asking her to stay, and it wasn't as if I didn't like her. She had proven herself to me on more than one occasion, and my jealousy wasn't her fault.

"I understand that," I told him, placing a kiss on his lips.

"Why did you ask?"

I smiled. "It was just something Amelia and I were talking about." It wasn't a lie. "But what we were also talking about was that I need to go dress shopping in New Orleans."

"Not alone, you're not."

"I know that. Amelia's a powerful witch, and I thought Pam could come along as well. And Åsa," I added as an afterthought when Eric didn't seem like he was going to agree.

"I can allow that. You have had the blood of both Pam and Åsa, and the witch is skilled. Okay, you can go, but I will be in the city as well."

"And will you promise not to force Pam or Åsa to tell you what my dress looks like?" I knew him too well.

He scowled at me, but there was humour there as well. "Fine."

"And no glamouring Amelia."

"Why would I …"

"Eric."

"Fine. I won't glamour anyone into telling me what your dress looks like, and I won't force either of my children to tell me." He could be like a petulant schoolboy at times.

"Good."

.

Over the summer months that followed I got back into some form of normality. I had to admit that I hated the shorter nights when Eric wasn't awake for so long, and he always had to cram the same amount of work in, which meant less time with me. I generally always made sure that I was with him for the hour or so after he woke, and we became adept at making the most of that time.

I'd started spending more time at work again, although my security had been increased considerably, with Amelia and Octavia being employed to ward all rooms I went into against unwelcome supernatural intruders, or any human out to cause me harm.

Since the events of Vegas and his curse, Eric had taken to training me whenever he could, or he asked Pam, Åsa or Thalia to train with me using weapons. Of course with Åsa we also practiced Fae skills, and I was probably almost as good as her with controlling my ability with fire.

It was during a session with her that I finally plucked up the courage to ask her what happened between her and Eric that night when he was cursed.

"I was waiting for you to ask me that," she said gently. "I could feel that you haven't quite trusted me, and I assumed it was because of that night."

I sighed and sat down on one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs in the training room. Åsa joined me. "I just … I haven't told Eric this, but it hurts that he wasn't even willing to believe you and Pam about me. That he offered to take you as his queen … to kill me …"

"I can feel your pain, Sookie. And I really do think you should talk this through with Eric. But the fact was that before he met you, he probably did still have strong feelings for me. I hurt him a lot when I left him to be with my child. It's why I stayed away from him."

"But you told me before that you came back because you felt he was happy again."

"That's true, I did. I suppose you could say that I liked that Eric still felt so strongly for me. I'm afraid to say that I am as stubborn as him, and although I wanted him, I wasn't going to give in and go back to him. Although I believe that you are just as stubborn as Eric as well." She was right there.

"When Eric was cursed," she continued, "it essentially reset him to that mentality. Pam had done everything to try and get him to forget me, and at times he did. But it was only when he met you that he could move on from me. And he did, Sookie. He fell in love with you so much more than he ever loved me. The fact that we now how a normal maker-child relationship is testament to that.

"But he had no memory of that love. In his mind, he still loved me. He wouldn't have believed before he met you, that he would have found someone to love like you, but he did. Don't blame him for what he did – he wasn't himself and he wouldn't have trusted what Pam and I were saying about you."

"I don't blame him … really … but it hurts."

"Talk to him."

"I will do."

The resulting talk with Eric wasn't easy. I had so often told him that I didn't blame him, that me telling him now that I did still have some unease about what he'd done didn't go down too well. It ended with yelling from both of us, and even got to the point where I had upped and left to go to Bon Temps. With my guards, of course, but I left him nonetheless.

And we were both being stubborn. He resented that I hadn't told him before about my concerns about him and Åsa, and felt like I didn't trust him now, and I was pissed that he been so quick to dismiss me in the first place.

And this time, he didn't come to me. And neither did I go back to him. It was a battle of the wills, with both of us being mightily stubborn, and neither one of us was going to concede defeat. Of course, as soon as I had walked away from him he closed off the bond, and this time I did the same. I knew I wasn't as good at it as he was, but in practice I became better at it.

But I missed him like crazy. It wasn't as painful as when there had been no bond as I could still feel his life force connected to mine, but I wasn't with the man that I loved, and I felt like a very large piece of my heart was missing.

I hadn't heard from Pam or Åsa either, but a week into our impasse, it was Amelia who turned up on my door.

"Talking to him didn't work well then." I hadn't told her that Eric and I weren't speaking to each other.

"How do you know?"

"It seems Pam and Åsa have been forbidden to talk to you or me about this. But Pam found a loophole and wrote a note which Eric's day man passed onto Alcide, which via Tray came to me." She handed me the still sealed envelope. "I don't want to get involved, Sook, but you look like shit right now and I can tell you're missing him. Don't be a fucking idiot." With that she turned on her heal and jumped back into her sports car before tearing out of my drive.

I went and sat in the living room and opened the envelope. The note was short and in Pam's distinctive handwriting. It simply said:

_Lovers are meant to be together, particularly those that are tied so._

_Your stubbornness will kill you both, don't let your love forego._

It wasn't great poetry, and I wondered why Pam felt the need to speak in verse, but I got her point, and I could only assume that Eric wasn't doing too good either. Also in the envelope was a business card for Fangtasia with the number '10' written on it. I assumed that was the time she wanted me there, and I decided I was going to swallow my pride and apologise to him. He was too important to me to throw away what we had, and from the brief time of not being bonded to him, I knew how much I needed him.

I spent the rest of the afternoon getting ready – shaving bits I'd left a bit neglected and scrubbing my body down. I spent extra time on my hair and make-up and pulled on a tight black dress that hugged my curves in all the right places.

I had to admit to being nervous when I arrived at Fangtasia, and I smiled at Pam who was stood on the door. I ignored the line and walked up to Pam.

"I'm not allowed to let you in," she told me.

"I'm sorry?"

"_I_ am not _allowed_ to let you in," she repeated, but gave me a look with her eyes that I couldn't quite understand. However her emphasis told me that she'd obviously been compelled by Eric to not let me in. And I had to admit that that hurt. I instead started back to my car, and went to sit in it. I was highly tempted to drive back to Bon Temps, but I really wanted to see him. And it wasn't as if I didn't have other ways of getting into the club.

I did a mental sweep of the club and found that one of the stalls in the ladies rest room was free, and I teleported myself into it. But I can't say that I landed well, and I fell heavily onto my ankle, twisting it as I fell to the ground. I had a feeling it was probably at least sprained, and I hoped that it wasn't broken. But then I did choose to wear three-inch heels.

I gathered myself together and limped – painfully – out into the bar. Eric was sat on the chair on the raised platform in one corner of the club, but I could see that he was bored and distracted. He was checking something on his phone, and I suddenly noticed that he was wide-eyed and obviously angry. I didn't quite know what to do.

He obviously hadn't seen me, and something had obviously angered him. But I had to admit that he didn't look himself, and it looked like he hadn't been feeding. I knew I had to make my presence known, and rather than approaching him, I lifted the bond from my end and let him feel how sorry I was for hurting him and arguing with him.

He turned to me instantly, and shoved his phone back in his pocket, a relieved expression on his face. He stood up and walked to me, and I could see how much he was trying to reign in his vampire speed.

"Sookie…"

"Hey Eric. I needed to see you. I'm sorry, so sorry."

He picked me up and carried me to his office, and at the same time let go of his control over the bond. It was such a relief to feel it, and I cried gently into his shoulder as he sat us down on the leather sofa.

"I'm sorry too, Sookie. I will never forgive myself for saying that I would kill you. And I am so grateful to Åsa for putting me straight. I love you, Sookie. If I had killed you … I wouldn't be far behind you, Sook. You're all I need, and I am so sorry that I didn't trust in our love. I knew at the time it must have been something special for me to be married to a human and for my children to act the way they did, but I didn't believe in you, and I am sorry for that."

"No really, Eric, I told you I didn't blame you, and I shouldn't have held this against you. Please forgive me."

"Oh for fuck's sake I'm going to be sick." We both looked up to see Pam stood in the doorway. "If you keep this up I'm going to prefer you being a sullen bitch."

"I seem to remember telling you not to let her in," he said with a smile.

"I didn't. And I may have found a loophole." She had a smug smile on her face.

"I teleported in," I told him. "Although I made a bit of a hash of it." I unconsciously rubbed my injured ankle, which Eric brought onto his lap. I hissed as he squeezed the bone, tears springing into my eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. I think it is broken."

"Good job I have you on tap then," I said with a smile. "And you look hungry," I scolded.

"I haven't felt like eating."

"Well … I can think of a way this may serve us both then …"

"Pam, look after the club, I will not be back until tomorrow." She rolled her eyes as Eric speedily carried me out of the office and we spent the night healing in each other in as many ways as possible.

.

It was early September that we all left Shreveport and headed for New Orleans. We were staying with Rasul, who was the Sheriff of Area One in the palace that had formerly belonged to the late Sophie-Anne. I wasn't happy with leaving the dress shopping this late, but things had been busy for Eric and he hadn't been able to spend the few nights away from Shreveport.

The wedding was booked for late September and was going to be held at the home I shared with Eric in Shreveport. I hadn't really been in Bon Temps much since our fight earlier on in the summer, and there was more security at Eric's home. There weren't many people being invited, obviously Pam and Åsa, and the vampires loyal to him, along with Amelia, Octavia, Sam, Tray, Tara, Jason and a few others I knew from growing up. Even Alcide and his new girlfriend got an invite, although I had a feeling he was also meant to be security.

As there were humans there that didn't know about the existence of vampires, we were obviously going to have to keep it subtle, although I had a feeling that there would be some glamouring going on at some point.

Eric had arranged some meetings while he was in New Orleans, while Pam, Åsa, Amelia and I had set up appointments with bridal stores out of hours. Pam had done some work beforehand, glamouring the shop assistants to think nothing of opening late for us, and all were very welcoming to us.

It was on our second night of shopping that I finally found the perfect dress. It was in a diamond white colour with a corseted bodice, with one strap over the right shoulder embroidered with handmade flowers, and Swarovski crystals woven into the lace. It was in a flattering A-line cut and had a scalloped train. It was completely beautiful, fit perfectly and all women agreed that it was THE dress for me. I bought the dress, and arranged to have it delivered to Amelia's address so Eric wouldn't be tempted to sneak a look.

"Well, I'm going to need some shoes and accessories," I announced to them. The shop assistant had suggested that I just needed a white flower for my hair, but I wanted some other jewellery to match my ring. "I was thinking I'd like to get some sapphire earrings to match my ring. Maybe a bracelet as well."

Pam was giving me an odd look. "Sapphire?"

"Yes … sapphire." I waved by ring in her face.

"Sookie, you do realise that's a blue diamond, don't you."

"Blue diamond? You're kidding right?"

"I don't kid, Sookie." She was being deadly serious.

"That means …" I looked down at my ring. "That means this thing costs a fortune! I am so going to stake him," I snapped. I'd seen _Titanic_; I knew how much blue diamond's cost.

"No, you're not," Åsa said wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "He loves you, Sook. And it's not as if he's strapped for cash."

"But still … " I complained.

I rolled my eyes and wrapped an arm around her waist. Since my talk with her and argument with Eric we had been getting on better, and I was probably closer to her than I was with Pam, as Pam wasn't really one for friendships.

"Well, well," a male voice said from behind me, pulling me out of my happiness-induced haze.

I turned quickly to see two males standing behind us. And if I was correct the were all Fae. I swallowed a lump in my throat, and scanned the area, but we were completely alone – most humans being tucked up in bed at three in the morning. Åsa, Pam and Amelia instantly surrounded me, and I could hear Amelia chanting softly to herself.

"Are you Breandon?" I asked them both.

The taller, blond one answered me. "I am. You have been talking to my uncle," he sneered, his pointy sharp teeth on display. "And witch, you chants will do nothing against us. I look forward to killing you. All of you, and two half-breeds … what good fortune."

I was sure that Eric had felt my panic, and I hoped that he'd get here as quickly as possible. But these fairies were quick and constantly moving. Both Pam and Åsa were armed with iron short swords that looked of Japanese origin, and were frantically trying to contain the fairies. In one skilled move Åsa somehow managed to stab the dark-haired fairy, but in her distraction as he bled onto the sidewalk, the blond one came up behind her and plunged a wooden stake deep into her chest.

I had tried to help her, but I hadn't been quick enough, and the iron dagger I threw at him arrived too late. Breandon turned in shock at the iron blade hit him, but he'd been unable to move in time and Pam finished him off with one swoop of her own blade.

Eric arrived just in time to see his eldest child disintegrate into blood and ash.

* * *

…

**Yeah, so I'm still evil. I actually grew to quite like Åsa in writing her, but her time is up now. But how will this affect Eric? How will it affect Sookie?**

**I'd love to know your thoughts.**

**Until next week…**


	25. Chapter 25

**Thanks for the great reviews of the last chapter. Very mixed views on whether it was Åsa's time or not, but I grew to like her. Anyway, Eric is in a very dark place during this chapter…**

* * *

Eric sank onto his knees as he stared at the remains of Åsa and let out a wail that could only be described as heart breaking. His red tears were falling plainly down his cheeks and the surge of pain I was getting from him was incapacitating to the point that I had to hold onto the wall to stop myself from falling over.

I didn't know what to do.

I didn't know whether to comfort Eric, or whether he was going to blame me for Åsa's death since she was protecting me. I looked to Pam for some guidance, but she simply shook her head at me and sank down next to her Maker. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and buried his head into her hair. For some reason, I knew that I wasn't welcome, and I remained standing where I was, wrapping my arms tightly around myself as I leaned on the wall for support.

"_Are you okay?"_ Amelia asked me loudly in my mind, and I realised that my own barriers had completely failed me. I could only assume that maybe it was something to do with the way that Eric was affected me. I looked to her and gave a slight grimace and a shake of my head to let her know that I really wasn't doing that well.

I felt enough of my own grief that Åsa was dead, along with guilt that she was there to protect me, but with Eric's emotions as well, it was hard to deal with.

"_Be strong, Sookie, he's going to need you."_

I simply nodded at her in acknowledgement, and she came and wrapped an arm around me. I looked back to where Eric was and could see that Pam was gently coaxing him up off the floor. Behind him, Alcide and two other were guards arrived, but it was too late. The fairies had long since disintegrated into dust, and Åsa was finally dead.

"Come on, Eric. Let's go back to the hotel," Pam said to her maker. He simply nodded at her and she led him away, his arm wrapped over her as she supported him. He still hadn't said a word, but his pain seemed to be getting worse rather than better.

Neither one of them looked to me as they walked away, and I assumed that Pam would drive him back to the hotel in the car we'd all arrived in. I remained standing where I was and stared down at the blood on the floor.

"What happened?" Alcide asked us once Eric and Pam were safely out of earshot.

"Fairies. Two of them, Åsa killed one, but was distracted by his blood, and the other one staked her. Pam and I finished off the other one. They were both of my kin."

Alcide nodded. "What do we do?"

I didn't know the answer to that, but Amelia was right in saying that I needed to be strong for both of us. "Do you have something we can put her … remains into? I wonder if Eric may like to bury her."

Alcide nodded. "Of course."

Alcide and the other weres went back to the large SUV they'd rented and came back with a large plastic box and a couple of shovels. It wasn't very pleasant watching the weres shovel the remains of the vampire who had become my friend into the box, but it had to be done.

As they were finishing up, my phone beeped to indicate a new text message. It was from Pam and simply said: _Go back to Shreveport, Eric and I will fly back tomorrow._

I didn't like that one bit and I felt like Eric was pushing me away, but I wanted to respect his wishes, and told Alcide what Pam had said. Luckily, there was room in the SUV for all of us and the remains of Åsa. We drove back in silence, not one of us saying anything or really knowing what to say. The distance from Eric gave me some relief from his pain, and even more when the sun rose, but I missed him. I wanted to be the one to comfort him, but he hadn't even acknowledged me.

When we got back to Shreveport, I carefully placed the remains of Åsa in the pantry to keep cool (I didn't know whether vampire blood would go off and start to smell) and I went and showered and climbed into bed. However, it was cold and empty without Eric, and I knew I wasn't going to sleep anytime soon.

Instead, I got dressed and headed into Shreveport. I didn't really like that Åsa's remains were in a plastic box, and I drove around the shops until I found an ornate gold box that sealed well and seemed ideal for the purposes we needed it for. The box cost a few thousand dollars, but the price was irrelevant. I transferred Åsa's remains into the box when I got back to the house. I also sent Pam a message to tell her what I had done, and hoped to God that I had done the right thing. I didn't need Eric hating me any more than he already did.

I received a text message from Pam later on in the evening to say that Eric and her were heading back to Shreveport, and she thanked me for collecting Åsa's remains. I wondered whether Eric would want to hold some kind of funeral for her, or do something to remember her, like build something in her name or plant a tree.

I waited anxiously in the living room for Pam and Eric to come back, and I was able to sense their movements as they came closer. I'd felt Eric's pain the moment he woke up, and it only seemed worse than before. It made me burst into tears when I felt his pain, and I felt so helpless that I couldn't do anything for him.

By the time they arrived in Shreveport I was a wreck, but Amelia had been right in saying that I needed to be strong for him. Pam pulled up in front of the house, but I could see how drawn out Eric looked. His eyes were a deep black and really showed his age. He had the weight of the world on his shoulders, and I could hardly burden him with any more. He didn't need to be concerned about me as well.

Pam helped him inside and he sank down on one of the sofas, not taking any notice of me and staring at the floor in front of him. I felt so helpless looking at him sitting there. The man I knew and loved really wasn't in there, and much despite myself, I found myself wondering how much he had loved her. Was his mourning just from losing a child or was it because he did still love her? He had proven when he was cursed that he still loved her, and she'd explained to me that I was the only reason he had moved on. But what if he hadn't really moved on? What if everything I had with him was a lie?

"Sookie?" I turned to see Pam standing in the doorway, and she indicated for me to follow her. I took one last look at Eric before following her into the garden where Eric wouldn't hear us.

"What can I do?" I asked as soon as we were alone. "I feel so helpless."

She sighed. "He needs to grieve for her. However, I didn't think he would be this bad. His emotions are complex and he's in a lot of pain. He feels guilty and thinks her death is on his hands."

"Will he be okay?"

"I honestly don't know. I have heard of cases where a vampire has been driven mad by the death of their child to the point that they have met the sun."

I gasped and brought my hand to my mouth, tears forming in my eyes. "That can't happen!"

She placed a hand on my shoulder. "I will do everything in my power to make sure that it doesn't happen. We will need to support him through this."

I nodded. "Does he blame me?"

She paused for a moment before answering. "I do not know. He had not mentioned you at all. But thank you for keeping her remains; I know he wishes to bury her."

"I thought he might."

"Be strong, Sookie, he …" She stopped mid-sentence as Eric called to her and gave me an apologetic smile. I followed her inside to see that Eric had found the remains of Åsa and was cradling the gold box close to his chest.

"Pamela, ready the plane, we are leaving tonight for Sweden."

"Eric," I started gently, taking a step closer to him, "are you …" He cut me off with a harsh glare, and I felt a jolt of animosity come from him. It was enough to completely floor me, and I felt tears fall down my face as I watched him walk away from me. I followed at a distance as he ordered Pam to drive him to the airfield without a second glance back at me.

And with that, Eric drove away from me.

.

In the first few days after Eric left, I was a wreck and didn't leave the bed I used to share with him. I hadn't heard from him or Pam, and I didn't know what to do. But Amelia finally talked me out of bed (or rather literally dragged me out), and I had a visit from Thalia wondering where Eric was as he wasn't answering his phone and hadn't shown up to a meeting that had been scheduled.

I ended up her telling her everything, as with Eric and Pam gone it meant that she was essentially in charge of Louisiana. She wasn't too impressed with that to say the least, but she was also loyal to Eric and would do what was required to keep his state in running order. Eric had told me what his passwords were on his computer and I knew the combinations to his safe. It meant that I was able to answer some of his emails – with Thalia's help – and not give away any indication that he was missing.

I hadn't expected him to be gone more than a few days – a week at the most. But when that turned to ten days and then a fortnight, I began to wonder when he would be back. Or whether he would even be back at all.

I could still feel Eric, and his pain was the most prevalent emotion even at this long distance across the Atlantic Ocean. In the end, I started to block him as I wanted to focus on working, and I'd thrown myself wholly into keeping Eric's kingdom running. Quite simply, the distraction of doing his work was a welcome one from missing him.

The most painful thing to do, however, was to cancel the wedding. I emailed the official who was going to do it to tell him the ceremony would be cancelled, along with the caterers and decorators who we'd arranged to spruce up the house before the ceremony. Amelia had been a rock to me during that, and where I'd told Alcide and Jason, I left Amelia to tell everyone else with the strict rule that I didn't want to be contacted by any of them.

Of course, they were all concerned, and I'd told them that Eric was away on business rather than anything close to the truth. Although as Jason was being a little persistent and mouthy, I ended up asking Thalia to glamour him and my other human friends into forgetting all about Eric and my wedding. At times, I wished that I could be glamoured as well.

Thalia and I had fallen into a good rhythm of working together. I'd become pretty much nocturnal and worked hard during the nights in Eric's name. There were obviously things we needed to cancel, and we tried to keep as much to email correspondence as possible. Rasul of Area One was the only vampire who knew the truth of Åsa as it had happened within his area, but then he was also the most trusted of Eric's sheriffs.

The problem was that the other big event looming was the Great Revelation. I had always promised Eric that I would screen all human staff beforehand, and that is what I did during the afternoons. I'd get them in the room together and tell them of the existence of vampires. Those that responded well we'd keep, and those that showed any signs of hatred or fear we'd sack. And of course, all were glamoured into forgetting what they'd been told, with those that weren't as open to vampires being glamoured into leaving their employment.

It was a job I did all over the kingdom, with Maxwell Lee becoming my vampire bodyguard and Alcide and his girlfriend Maria being with me during the day. I knew that I had to stay safe, as much for Eric as for myself. If he ever did pull himself out of his depression, I got the feeling that he wouldn't handle it well if I'd got myself kidnapped or killed.

But I missed him.

I missed him more each day and it didn't get any easier. There were times when I lifted the block on the bond just to feel him, but he was no better. He was still in his dark place and I had not heard a word from either him or Pam. Thalia had asked a trusted confidante to see if he could be found in Sweden, but there was no sign of him, and his plane could not be easily traced. It was as if both Pam and Eric had disappeared.

And now the Great Revelation was coming up. Eric was King and was meant to be the public face, and Thalia and I had to find some way of hiding or explaining his whereabouts. If other vampires found out we were missing a King and one of his lieutenants we'd be sitting ducks for a takeover. Instead, Thalia and I prepared for both defence and attack. We employed as many were guards as we could and we used those vampires loyal to Eric to keep a close eye on what was happening in their areas. We also used the witches at our disposal, and I was even visited by the great-grandfather, who gave me a little extra Fae protection.

All we had to do was to try to all stay alive and hope that Eric came back.

.

.

**Eric**

I was in the dark and alone.

There was a gaping hole where she had been, and I didn't know how to fill it. But I needed something else as well. I was missing my other half, my light to guide me away from this blackness and death.

_Sookie_

Where was she? Was she here with me? Where was I? I couldn't really remember anything, but the vision of seeing my child die had been replaying over and over in my mind.

I needed her; I craved her. I missed the sound of her voice and the smile she would bring to my face. I missed her blood and her comfort; I missed the closeness of the bond I had. But I couldn't feel that either.

"Sookie?" I said aloud this time.

"Eric?" It wasn't the right voice.

"Where is Sookie?"

"Fuck, Eric." I felt arms go around me and I looked into the eyes of my child Pam. She looked fraught with worry and she was never usually this emotional with me. "Are you okay?" she leaned back to look me in the eye.

That was a good question. "I … I miss Åsa. I don't really know what to do without her. She was such a big part of my life for so long, and it's my fault that she has met her final death."

She placed a hand on my face. "It's not your fault, Eric. She was killed by Fae assassins. This is all Breandon's doing and he is now dead, I saw to that. She wanted to protect Sookie." She said the last part in little more than a whisper to even my vampire ears.

"Where is she?"

"Sookie?"

"Yes. I can't feel her." And I couldn't. I reached out in my bond to her, but I could feel nothing from her. I felt like she was blocking me or that I was too far away from her.

"She is still in Louisiana, I believe."

"You believe?"

"I don't know, Eric. You forbade me from contacting her."

I didn't remember that. But then I also didn't know where I was. I remembered seeing Åsa die, I remembered a plane journey and bringing her to her homeland to bury the beautiful golden box I didn't remember buying. But I couldn't work out exactly where I was now.

"Where are we?"

"Still in Sweden. Are you hungry?"

I was. I felt like I hadn't eaten for months. I nodded to my child and she went away and warmed me a bag of blood. But that only increased my hunger and it took five more bags before I was sated. Pam looked pleased that I had eaten.

But I couldn't remember the reason that I hadn't allowed Pam to contact Sookie. I needed her here with me, I needed her more than anything, and without her now, I was nothing.

"Eric, stop it."

I looked up at Pam who was standing with her hands on her hips. "I will not let you slip back into this depression. It has nearly killed you and I have fought so hard to stop you from meeting the sun. If you want to see Sookie, we will return to Louisiana immediately. Assuming you have a Kingdom left, that is."

"What?"

I hadn't thought of that. I had walked away, no, ran away from Louisiana without a second thought of what would happened to my Kingdom in my absence. And Sookie – I had left her alone. I had abandoned her when there were Fae assassins after her, when there were other vampires willing to take the telepath from my side, let alone capture her when she was alone.

"I should not have said anything. Come, we need to leave now to get to the plane now. I will call the pilot on the way."

"She could be dead," I mused.

"She isn't. We would both feel it if she was. Now pull yourself together, I have had enough of this."

My child was right. I stood and followed her out of the underground lair; a place I recognised as one of my safe houses that I had built on my birthplace. Åsa had been born only a few miles away, and that was where I had buried her. But now I needed to move on, I needed to go back to my wife and bonded, and hope that she was okay.

The flight was long and boring, but when we arrived in Louisiana all seemed surprisingly well. It was a few hours before dawn and we were greeted at the airfield by a vampire I recognised, and my car was still parked in the secure parking unit where I had left it. I took it as a good sign, and after dropping Pam at her own home, I drove speedily in the direction of my house. I still could feel little from Sookie, but she was obviously asleep and her hold on the bond had slipped.

I drove up to the gates to be stopped by three vampires guards, two of which I didn't recognise, however when they saw it was me I was let through without question. But I could see a look of surprise in the eyes in one of the younger vampires who was not as schooled at keeping his emotions off his face. I was tempted to go back and question him, but I had greater urges to see Sookie.

I hoped that she would still be willing to marry me at the end of the month, and I looked forward to her becoming my wife on her terms as well as my own.

But when I entered my underground lair, what I saw shocked me. Sookie was lying on the bed with only a thin sheet covering her, and she was wearing one of my shirts. But she looked so thin. How could she have lost so much weight in this time? Why was she not looking after herself? Was she sick? I could see that her dreams were not peaceful ones, and she tossed and turned in the bed, a light sweat covering her body.

I couldn't stop myself from stepping forward and sitting on the edge of the bed. I placed a hand on her leg and felt that her temperature was a few degrees higher than it should be. She was definitely sick, and I worried for her.

I knew that Åsa loved Sookie like a sister, and she would have wanted the both of us to be happy. It was something I knew she had struggled with at first, as Åsa still loved me right up until her death, but through Sookie, we had found a happiness together. She was more than just my child – we had too much history together for that – but at the end, we managed to have a more normal maker-child relationship.

But losing her hurt more than I ever thought it would. I had lost my own maker and although the breaking of the bond hurt, it was nothing in comparison to the gut-wrenching pain that came from Åsa's death. I was heartbroken and inconsolable. And I realised now that I pushed everyone away, including the one person I needed to make it through; the one person whose light and love would have been able to pull me through this.

"Eric," Sookie moaned in her sleep, fidgeting and fighting against something as she tossed and turned.

"I am here, my love."

She awoke with a start, her blue eyes staring at me in disbelief. "Eric? Is that really you?"

I could feel her again, and I bathed myself in her life force, closing my eyes momentarily. But in that I could also feel her pain and tiredness, and a guilt I didn't understand. Did she blame herself for what happened to Åsa? Had something else happened in the weeks I had been gone?

"I'm here, lover."

She threw herself at me, and I caught her in my arms, wrapping them tightly around her. But I could feel how thin she was; how much weight she had lost.

"You have lost weight. Have you been okay?"

She shrugged in my arms, her head buried in my chest and breathing me in as I was her. "I suppose I haven't had much time to eat over the last couple of months. And I haven't really felt like eating recently."

I felt my blood freeze. "Months?" I pulled back from her to meet her eyes.

"Yes."

"Sookie, how long have I been gone?"

"Four months, Eric. It's early January." She seemed surprised that I hadn't realised what month it was, and she placed a hand on my cheek. "I was so worried about you. I've been trying to keep things running here – with Thalia, of course – but it's been hard and I really missed you." She placed a gentle kiss on my lips. "And yeah, I guess I've been losing quite a bit of weight recently. I'm not as durable as you vampires are." She smiled and rested her head on my shoulder again.

I couldn't comprehend that I had been gone for so long. Why had Pam not told me? Did she even realise?

"I am so sorry, Sookie."

"That's okay. I know you needed time to heal. Are you doing alright?" She'd lifted her head to she could meet my eyes once more.

I wasn't going to lie to her. "I have been in a very dark place. I … I miss her. I feel like I am missing something without her."

"You still loved her." It was a statement rather than a question, and I could see a look of sadness in Sookie's eyes.

"In a way, yes. But Sookie, I love you more. And I am sorry I have let you down in leaving you like this. I'm sorry I missed our wedding; that I have left you exposed and alone. I am not sure that I can forgive myself."

"I forgive you, Eric. And I understand. I knew that you had to grieve for her. I …" she trailed off and rested her head on my shoulder.

"Sookie?"

"It doesn't matter."

"It does. Tell me."

"I just wish you had let me help you. I am here for you, Eric; I want to be the one you turn to."

"I know," I hung my head. "I shouldn't have pushed you away. Maybe I blamed you a little at the time – wrongly, I will add – or maybe I was too absorbed in myself to realise that I needed your help, but please believe how sorry I am."

She smiled and placed a hand on my cheek. "I do, Eric. And I can feel it." She climbed up off the bed, looking over at the alarm clock on the bedside table. "Come, let's take a bath and then go to bed, it will be dawn soon." She extended a hand to me, which I took, and I let her lead me to the bathroom.

Once the bath was ready, we climbed in and I held her tight to me. I didn't know how I had survived for so long without her, and I knew that even though Åsa had been my child and former lover, if anything had happened to Sookie nothing would have stopped me from meeting the sun.

"You know, I think you owe Thalia some time off, or at least a damn good bonus. She's been awesome." She was gently playing with my hair and I ran my fingers down her spine.

"I am incredibly thankful to both of you." It truly amazed me that between the two of them they had kept things running smoothly in my absence, particularly as there were many things about vampire politics I had not explained to Sookie.

She smiled. "I would do anything for you."

I sighed. "I don't deserve you." I could tell that she was about to protest, but I placed a finger over her lips. "It is the truth. I should never have left you here alone, particularly … particularly when Åsa was so concerned with your safety. She would have hated me to have risked you like that."

I took her left hand in mine and ran my thumb over the large blue diamond I had given her a lifetime ago.

"Will you still marry me?" I asked her.

She smiled and placed a kiss on the tip of my nose. "Of course. Although that may be more difficult now that vampires are out in the open. It would be illegal for us to marry." She had a disappointed expression in her eyes even though she tried to hide it in the bond.

"We will find a way, Sookie," I promised her, and I meant it as well. I was going to marry her no matter what it took or who I killed.

Sookie simply smiled and nuzzled into my neck. But I could tell she felt let down by me, even if she didn't say the words aloud. However, there were other things on my mind. In my absence, I hadn't been around for the Great Revelation. I knew that it was time I was expected to make myself known as the face of Louisiana, and all monarchs were meant to be under the direct control of the Authorities during the Revelation. That my State hadn't been taken over in my absence was truly a miracle.

"What are you thinking, Eric? Your emotions are all over the place."

"About the Great Revelation. I was expected to oversee events, I was meant to liaise with the authorities."

Sookie sighed, but smiled a little at the same time. "I won't say that it wasn't difficult and a lot of hard work. And we may have also lied a little to cover your absence." She had a sly smile on her face.

"Lied a little?" I was becoming prouder and prouder of my wife.

She shrugged. "It was Thalia's idea. We needed an excuse for you to not be public, and we made it known that you had lost part of your arm. We had to also say that you were grieving for the loss of your child …" she paused to make sure I was okay with that. "And Niall was okay with us blaming the fairies for her death and your injury."

Niall? "He has contacted you?"

"With Breandon dead he was able to; things are more stable now in Faery. He's been a great help, lending a little fairy magic to my protection, and my cousin Claudine kept a close eye on me, and got me out of a few scrapes."

I would have to be grateful to him if he had done that. "Has anyone tried to harm you?" Her response was to lower her eyes, and I knew that obviously someone had. "Tell me, Sookie."

"It was after the Revelation … Alcide and his girlfriend Maria were my daytime guards …" I couldn't help but growl at the mention of her ex-boyfriend. "Hey, stop it. I said his girlfriend as well." She gave me a pointed look and I remained quiet. "Anyway, some weres from Florida jumped us one morning, incapacitating Alcide and Maria, and taking me." She smiled. "I have to say they truly underestimated me."

"How?"

"My great-grandfather gave me some invisible gloves worn by the Fae that protected my hands and wrists from iron, so them shackling me in iron had little effect. Let's just say within a few minutes I had killed all six of them." She grinned. "It seems werewolves don't like fire either." I could tell that she was proud of her achievement, and while it scared me that she had been in that situation, I was pleased she had shown herself to be so powerful.

"You are quite the fairy-warrior," I told her, pushing her wet hair back off her face. "And I am again so sorry that I have left you alone for such a long time."

"It's okay; you obviously didn't know how long you had been gone."

"That is no excuse. I should not have left you in the first place."

"I forgive you, Eric."

I hugged her close to me. "Thank you, although I will not be able to forgive myself so easily. You are so thin, and I can feel your tiredness. Have you been sleeping?" I met her eyes and could see her weariness.

"I have had trouble sleeping," she admitted. "My dreams have been filled with thoughts of you: concerns that you would not come back, or that you would meet the sun. I thought of Åsa a lot as well. I miss her as well."

"I know."

We just held each other tightly until I could start to feel the tug of the sun.

"Will you feed from me?" I asked. "I am concerned for your health."

"I would like us to exchange."

I pulled us out of the bath quickly, and towelled us both off. There was no time for sex, but I ran my hands over my wife's body to calm her, pleased that my touch still did so. I laid down on the bed and pulled her naked body on top of me. She nuzzled her face into the crook of my neck, kissing and nibbling at my skin as she inhaled my scent, her fingers digging into my arms. I ran my fingers through her long blonde hair and placed a lick along her neck

She mimicked my action, her warm tongue licking along my neck before she nipped at my skin. I groaned in pleasure before she bit harder, drawing blood with her blunt teeth and sucking hard at the wound. My hard cock was sandwiched between us, and I could smell her arousal. I couldn't resist bringing my hand to her warm sex, and I fingered her as I bit into neck. She shuddered with pleasure, moaning audibly as I took a mouthful of her delicious blood.

I didn't know how I had stayed away from her for so long, and I knew in that moment that it wasn't just Åsa I had been missing. I had caused my own problems in being away from Sookie, and I swore to myself then and there that I would not spend another night away from her, no matter what it took. She was my all; my everything.

We finished feeding at the same time, both of us coming hard as I fingered her to her orgasm and thrusted against her warm thigh. Dawn was only minutes away, and I rolled us onto our sides and pulled her into me, nuzzling my face into her hair as she spooned back against me. She was asleep even before I was, and I wrapped my arms tightly around her.

She was what I needed to heal, and I wasn't going to let her down again.

When I woke the next evening, Sookie wasn't in my arms, but she was laid facing me and running her fingernails down my arm. I could feel a sense of determination from her, but her love was a strong undercurrent. She was also a little nervous.

"You're beautiful when you sleep," she mused, leaning forward to kiss me.

"Are you saying you prefer me dead for the day than at night?" I was teasing and I played with the hem of the light blue nightdress she wore.

"No. But you look so peaceful."

"It's the beauty of being a vampire that for me, when I wake, I feel that no time has passed."

"No sleepless nights for you then." She seemed thoughtful.

"No." She snuggled in closer to me and I wrapped my arms around her. "Something on your mind?" I was a little worried considering I knew how much I had let her down in not being here for her.

"Yes. Two things."

"Okay …" she was strong and determined.

"Firstly … I've been doing some research, and, well, although it's illegal for vampires and humans to marry in the US, it is legal in Finland." I was impressed that she'd been looking, and I couldn't keep the smile off my face. "I called Mr Cataliades, and he told me that if we married in a country that allowed our marriage, it would have to be recognised here."

"You want to do that?" I couldn't keep the smile off my face as I met her eyes.

She smiled. "Yes, although maybe we need to shore up your authority here before we go gallivanting back across the Atlantic again." I loved that she understood what I needed to do.

"True, but I don't want to leave it too long. I need to be married to you in every way possible."

She gave me a huge grin and nuzzled her face into the crook of my neck, kissing down my neck. I could feel how happy and contented she was, and I felt exactly the same. I moved us so that our lips could meet, and we lazily kissed each other as we laid in each other's arms.

"There is something else?" I asked after a while.

She sensed a little nervousness from her as I asked that, and she leaned back to meet my eyes.

"Yes. I wish for you to make me vampire."

* * *

…

**I'd love to know your thoughts after that shocker – more of Sookie's thoughts in the next chapter.**

**I've decided that there is only going to be one more chapter after this, and possibly an epilogue. But I feel this is coming to a natural end, and I don't want to overwork it. **

**I've enjoyed writing this, and thank everyone who has taken the time to read, rate and review. Next chapter up by next weekend at the latest.**

**Lots of love**

**Drumbjo.**


	26. Chapter 26

**Sookie**

I woke up tight in Eric's cool embrace, and I relaxed back into him. I'd dreamed about him, as I normally did, but this time he was really here on waking. I felt protected in his arms, and I closed my eyes once more trying to memorize his feel. I wasn't going to let him go. His cold body was soothing on my over-heated skin, but I felt better for having had his blood. And not only that, the relief of actually seeing him again took a dark cloud from above me. I felt so much lighter in his presence; he soothed me and I needed him.

I had to admit that there were many times in the previous months where I'd feared that he'd never come back to me. I knew he was still alive – or not finally dead – as I could feel his every-present hum in the back of my mind, but I had been constantly scared he would do something stupid like meet the sun. All I could do was trust that Pam would do everything she could to keep him alive, but I knew as well as she did, that if he really wanted to do something he would command her to leave him.

There were also times that I'd been so angry with him for abandoning me. I'd shouted and cried, and thrown things. I'd cursed him and sworn that I would never take him back. Amelia had been with me by my side during some of my lowest moments, and she'd been my rock, really pulling me through my dark times. She agreed with me that he was an asshole for leaving me the way he did, but then her opinion of him had always been worse than mine.

However, the simple fact was that he was in so much pain. If I could feel it nearly five thousand miles away, I didn't even want to think what it must have been like for him.

And I couldn't truly hate him. I loved him, after all.

Amelia had accused me of being a doormat for staying and dutifully waiting for him. She knew that I would accept him back with open arms, and that didn't sit well with her. She didn't even try to hide her thoughts from me, and let me know that she considered me an idiot for not walking away from him. I respected her opinions; they were hers, after all, and she was entitled to make up her own mind.

But Eric was my other half, and he was suffering and in pain. I wasn't going to abandon him when he was at his lowest – what kind of wife would that make me? Essentially, he was depressed and he needed help. I didn't like that he had pushed me away, but I hoped that he would recover enough to come back to me and let me help him.

So when I woke up to find him sitting there, I didn't rip him a new one, or shout at him for leaving me in the first place. I was better than that, and I wasn't going to act like a petulant child and place all the blame at his feet. I could feel the guilt and remorse coming off him in waves despite that fact that our bond hadn't been renewed in four months. Quite simply, he already felt like shit for abandoning me, and he didn't need me making him feel any worse.

What was more was that he genuinely didn't realise how long he'd been gone. He was surprised when I said the word 'months' and his shock was evident when I told him that he'd been gone for four months. I assumed that he'd maybe thought it was a few weeks at the most, and I wondered quite what had happened to him for him not to realise the passage of time. But he needed me to be strong for him, and that was what I was going to do.

I knew that I was going to need him soon enough.

I looked over at the alarm clock and saw that it was early afternoon. I actually felt hungry for the first time in a long time, and I was also rather desperate to go to the bathroom. So, regrettably, I extracted myself from his embrace and walked slowly towards the bathroom. I didn't shower as I wanted to keep his scent on me, but I brushed my teeth and washed my face before pulling on a light-blue satin nightdress and a warm towelling robe.

It took some effort, but I walked slowly to the kitchen and cooked a ham and cheese omelette, surprising myself when I ate it all. I even finished it off with a bag of salted chips and one of the special high-calorie milkshakes Dr Ludwig had given me, along with the few tablets I had to take every day.

But I wanted to be near Eric, so once I'd cleaned up the few dishes I'd dirtied, I headed back downstairs. Of course, he was laid in exactly the same position I'd left him in and he looked so peaceful and at ease. It was such a contrast to the pained look on his face when I'd told him he'd been gone for so many months.

I decided to get my laptop and sit in bed with him. I'd been doing a little light research into whether Eric and I would be able to marry, and I'd found that Finland was the first country to allow such marriages. It had been bittersweet when I discovered that, and I had immediately contacted Mr Cataliades to find out whether our marriage would be legal in the US as well.

Surprisingly, it seemed the Lawmakers hadn't written anything to say that marriages wouldn't be recognised if they happened abroad, and I was willing to exploit that loophole. Of course, when I'd discovered that piece of information, I was on my own and facing the immediate prospect of Christmas without Eric. But now he was back, and it seemed he was still interested in marrying me.

I resolved that I would mention this to Eric when he woke. I knew that he was going to have to put in a public appearance in Louisiana now that he was back, as although Thalia and I had seemingly done a good job in keeping enemies out of the State, we both knew that the sharks were circling, and if Eric hadn't shown up soon we would be under attack. Luckily for us, Eric had returned just in time, and he needed to shore up his authority soon.

But that wasn't all I had to tell him. It didn't surprise me that Eric had noticed I had lost weight. He had also felt my tiredness, although I was blocking him to some extent so he wouldn't feel the extent of my exhaustion and pain. I was maybe a little surprised that he hadn't said anything when he drank from me, but then he didn't take much and it was pretty close to dawn.

It had started around ten weeks after Eric left. I started to feel tired and generally unwell, and went off my food. I assumed that it was simply from missing Eric or that I had the 'flu, but I started to feel achy and my limbs seemed to hurt. It was Thalia who noticed that I had a raised temperature while we were working together one day, and she called Dr Ludwig.

To be honest, I didn't really expect the doctor to come and see me being that Eric wasn't around, but she turned up a few hours later.

"You have not had vampire blood recently?" she'd asked me almost straight away. I could see that she was looking around for Eric and surprised that he wasn't by my side.

"No. Eric has been away for over three months."

She gave me a querying look, before she came and sat next to me on the couch in Eric's office. I noticed the odd look that Thalia gave the doctor, but she ignored the vampire.

"Child, I had hoped this would not happen with you. You have enough of the Fae essential spark, and you are obviously very magical. But I fear that your body is at war with itself."

"Excuse me?"

"To be frank, Sookie, you are dying. Vampire blood would prolong your life probably for a few years at the most, and your sickness would come on much slower, but you are dying nonetheless."

"I don't understand. Niall told me that being part-Fae meant that I would live for a long time!" I was almost shouting at her. I knew it wasn't her fault, but she was the one giving me this news.

"I know child." She placed a warm hand on my arm, and I again found myself wondering what she was. "I have spoken to your great-grandfather this evening, as this is what I have feared would happen. There is little he can do for you."

"I don't understand."

She gave me a sympathetic smile. "This is a known phenomenon in those that are one-quarter Fae. Any more Fae blood and the Fae side takes control, any less and the Fae blood is too diluted. You have the essential spark, and it is why your great-grandfather assumed that you would be okay. However it seems that your human side is just as strong." She was still being cryptic. "You are aware that the Fae are affected by iron?"

"Yes. I have been as well, but not as affected as some may be."

"That is because of your human blood. You are aware that the cytoplasm of each red blood cell contains haemoglobin?" I nodded, remembering some biology lesson many years ago. "And, essentially, each protein of haemoglobin contains a molecule of iron. It is this war between your human and Fae blood that is causing your sickness."

I had been stunned and more than a little upset. At that moment I had wanted Eric more than anything, but I had to make do with my new friend Thalia who had joined me the other side on the couch and taken my hand in her cold one. Not that she wasn't great and much more supportive than I would ever would have imagined, but I wanted my husband by my side. I needed his comfort.

"What's wrong with me?" I whispered, doing my absolute best not to cry.

"I do not know. I will have to do some tests." She immediately switched back into doctor mode, sticking a digital thermometer in my mouth and pulling out some needles and vials to collect my blood. Thalia wisely left the room while that was going on, as I didn't need a vampire in full-on blood lust taking me out.

It was two days later that Dr Ludwig called me and told me that she needed to see me in her Supe hospital. I'd been with Amelia and Tray at the time, and they both came with me to my appointment. I'd told them what the doctor had told me, and both were clearly upset by the news. Amelia even found a way to blame it on Eric, although I knew my sickness was not his fault, and maybe it was better that I knew this sooner rather than later.

"Miss Stackhouse, I believe you have infective endocarditis," she announced as soon as she walked into the room and not doing anything to sugar coat the diagnosis. "It is an infection of the inner lining of the heart. I need to do an echocardiogram, and if I am right you will need to start intravenous antibiotics immediately."

I was floored by that news, and I really didn't know what to say. I assumed I had a chest infection or something. "Will I … I mean, can you cure me?"

"That depends on how deep seated the infection is and if the infection has damaged your heart valves."

"And if they are damaged?" My voice was a whisper.

"Then you will go into heart failure without surgery." The doctor was brutally honest; I had to give her that. Her face softened, however, and she placed a hand on mine. "But we cannot be sure until I have run the tests."

She'd done just that, but the scan wasn't great news. It seemed the infection had taken hold quicker than Dr Ludwig anticipated, meaning that my heart was already damaged. The doctor put me on a course of strong IV antibiotics, and a whole number of other drugs I didn't want to think about. She even had one of her nurses come to me twice daily to inject me so I didn't have to attend the hospital every day.

But things weren't good. Dr Ludwig essentially told me that I had two options: become a vampire or death. Thalia had offered to give me her blood if I needed it, and I was grateful for her help, but it was Eric that I wanted. We'd both stepped up our search for him, and even Niall had agreed to help.

But now he was back. His blood had made me feel much better, but I had to tell him that I was dying, and considering what he had just gone through with Åsa, I wasn't too sure how well he was going to take it. The one thing I knew for sure was that I had no intention of ending up dead.

I couldn't quite work out whether I was being selfish or selfless in wanting to ask Eric to turn me. There was a large part of me that knew that if – or rather when – I died he would meet the sun not long after, and I couldn't face the thought of him doing that. But I also didn't want to die, and I had a vampire husband who would be more than willing to change me.

I knew it would alter the dynamics of our relationship since I would be his child, but I had observed how Eric's relationship with Åsa had been very different to the one he had with Pam. On more than one occasion I had wondered why that was – whether it was because she was older, or whether it was because of her former relationship with Eric and the love they still had for each other.

But I also feared that in asking Eric to turn me he would feel that I was wanting to replace Åsa. I knew that really this was a case of bad timing, as at any other time I knew Eric would have turned me in an instant.

I supposed that I hadn't really thought too much about how I would tell Eric, so him coming back meant that I had to do some thinking. But he'd realised I was sick, and it was only a matter of time before he realised something was up. I therefore made the decision that I was going to tell him as soon as he woke.

He'd looked so beautiful while dead for the day, and I was enjoying watching him when he woke up. His mood was much brighter than it had been the day before, and I could feel waves of love coming off him. As expected he knew something was up. I started with the revelation that it was possible we could marry in Finland, which he was hugely receptive to and made it known that he wanted us to marry sooner rather than later.

"There is something else?" he asked after we'd been lazily kissing.

I swallowed my nervousness. "Yes. I wish for you to make me vampire."

I didn't know what to expect from him, and I was immediately hit by a cacophony of emotions. His face was one of confusion and surprise, and he sat up in the bed, his back to the wooden headboard. I sat up as well, facing him, but not quite touching him.

"You wish for me to change you?"

I gave him a small smile. "I do."

"This is new?"

"It is. I –" he cut me off before I could finish the sentence.

"Is this because of … Åsa?" It looked like it hurt him to mention her name, and I felt a jolt of pain through the bond. "Please don't feel that you have to replace her. I love you; you are special to me in a different way. So much more." His eyes were pleading with me and he held out his hand to me.

"It's not. And I don't want to replace Åsa. She will always be important to you – you two were in love for such a long time, she will remain a huge part of you." I had tears in my eyes, and I placed a hand on his cheek. This wasn't going to be easy.

"Then why?"

I clenched my jaw and swallowed thickly. "Because I am sick and I don't want to leave you."

"You're dying?" I could feel the horror from him, and he pulled me close to him. His arms were wrapped so tightly around me that it was almost painful, but I welcomed his embrace.

When he eventually let me go I told him everything that Dr Ludwig had told me. Tears were shed from both of us as he held me securely in his arms.

"You should hate me," he said quietly once I had finished.

"I don't."

"But you should. I have failed you. I left you alone unprotected … I went and wallowed in my own misery for four months before I even remembered you. You have become sick because of me … what is there not to hate?"

I didn't like this self-loathing Eric. "Stop it," I snapped, slapping him across the face.

I don't really know why I did it, but it seemed like the right thing to do. His fangs shot down and a hard look appeared in his eyes for a split second, but he took my abuse and lowered his eyes.

"I said, stop it!" This time I was yelling at him.

I stood up off the bed and paced before turning back to him. He hadn't moved, but he was watching me intently.

"You think that I have been here pitying myself? Hating you? Eric, I fucking love you. But I know how much Åsa's death hurt you; I felt it from you myself. Hell, you were nearly five thousand miles away and I still had to block the bond because I could feel your emotions too powerfully. I have stayed strong for both of us; I have worked hard with Thalia to keep things running here so that you have a kingdom to come back to. I have kept myself out of trouble so you wouldn't lose me as well."

I ran my hand through my hair and went to sit back on the edge of the bed, but out of Eric's reach. His eyes were rimmed with red and were fixed on mine.

"Amelia says that I should hate you. And I should probably warn you that she really does. But I understand, and I am your wife. I am here for you, Eric. But I need you. I need for you to be the strong one now. I'm tired; my body can't take this for much longer." I felt a tear slip down my cheek. "I love you, Eric. I love you so fucking much. I need you to come back to me, and not hate yourself for something that is not your fault. This illness is not your fault. This would always have happened to me whether I met you or not. And Åsa's death is not on your hands or mine. She knew what she was doing; she wanted to protect me. Breandon is dead, and with his death the world is a much safer place."

I was emotionally exhausted from my outpour, and I didn't feel much better physically either. Being apart from Eric had been very hard, but seeing him back again – in some ways – was just as hard as I feared he may leave again.

"She slipped up," Eric said quietly after a few moments of silence, he was staring down at his hands. "Pam told me that she was distracted by the scent of fairy blood. She should have known better than that." I didn't know how to answer that.

He moved slowly towards me and took my hand.

"I am sorry, Sookie. For everything. I will always be, and I will never fully atone for the way I have wronged you." I tried to silence him, but he smiled and placed a finger over my lips. "There is not a day to come that I will let you down again. I owe you everything. But you are right; I have mourned for long enough. I should never have walked away from you in the first place, since you were what I needed to heal." He leaned down and placed a kiss on my forehead. "Thank you, Sookie."

"For what?"

"Everything. For being so strong, for keeping things running here when I had left without a second thought. For not blaming me."

"There have been times when I have."

"I don't doubt that." He lowered his eyes once more.

I sighed. We needed to completely clear the air. "Eric, what happened? I mean, I understand that you were grieving; I felt your pain. But how could you not realise that four months had passed?"

I didn't mean to hurt him, but it was clear my question had done just that. "I'm not sure I can explain it. I felt like I wasn't in control, I was on autopilot, and all I could see was the image of her dying over and over again. I couldn't think properly."

"It seemed …" I stopped, but Eric prompted me to continue. "It seemed like you didn't care about me. It felt like you had forgotten me again." I felt a tear fall down my cheek.

"I cannot justify myself," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "I honestly don't know what happened. I hated myself for her death, and her loss hurt so much. The pain was consuming, and I lost myself into it. As for how I was gone for such a long time … I honestly didn't realise I had been. I hadn't noticed the days passing, and I even wonder whether I slept at all." He took my hand in his and placed a kiss on the back. "I should never have walked away from you. But it was the thought of you that pulled me back. If I had opened up to you, none of this would have happened."

I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck and pressed myself into him. I understood that he was in a dark place, and although it hurt that he hadn't thought of me, I knew it was his grief for Åsa that caused it. And I knew my next question was going to hurt him more.

"Did you love her more than me?"

"No!" he pushed back from me and met my eyes, a fire back in him. "No. Is that what you thought?"

I shrugged. "At times in the past four months I have done. Your reaction … it was extreme. But I don't blame you, Eric, I know you loved her."

"I have let you down so badly."

"No, Eric…"

He interrupted me. "I have done. And yes, I did love Åsa. Even though we weren't together, I still loved her. She was my child and former companion. We shared so much of each other's lives. But I am so sorry if I made you ever feel that I loved her more. It was not the case. I have … had a deep tie to her."

He looked deep into his eyes, and I could feel his devotion.

He continued. "But what I have with you … you are my light, my world. I would not have been able to survive for one second in a world where you were not. I didn't know myself after Åsa's death, I probably did some stupid things, but I think it was you that kept me going. Your love; my love for you ... And I am sorry, Sookie. I will always be so."

"And I forgive you."

I held him close to me once more, and we stayed that way for some time. It wasn't sexual – which would have been unusual for us in the time before Åsa's death – but it was comforting and healing. I don't think either one of us would kid ourselves to believe that everything was perfect between us, and I knew we'd have to work together. But I was more than willing, and I knew Eric was.

"You didn't answer me," I said after a while.

"What do you mean?"

"You never gave me an answer." He still looked a little confused. "Will you turn me?"

"Sookie, there was never any other answer than yes. Of course I will. I do not want to lose you."

"Good," I smiled into his chest.

"Did you really think that I wouldn't?" he leaned back and placed a finger under my chin to tilt my head towards him.

"No. I knew you would. I still wanted to hear you say it, though."

Eric and I spent the rest of the night together. He looked after me, worshiped me and we made love many times. But I could sense his concern. I knew that at one point when I went to sleep he called Dr Ludwig. I don't doubt that the miniature doctor gave him a hard time for not being around for me, and she told him that I had to have his blood twice a night, with him only being able to feed from me every third night. She also told him that I needed to gain weight, and he went all out to make sure there was always enough food in the house for me.

It was the next night that we finally left the house and went to Fangtasia. Through his lieutenants, all the sheriffs and important vampires of the state had been called to Shreveport, and Eric went out of his way to assert his dominance once more. He held court and dealt with some of the squabbles that had taken place, and he showed no mercy in dealing with any vampire that opposed him or one of his sheriffs.

I was sure that Eric had been fortunate in having such loyal vampires working for him, and he was certainly very thankful to Thalia for the way she had worked to keep the state running. Although she didn't accept it straight away, he gave her time off, an enormous bonus and more power as she'd certainly shown her worth.

Eric's relationship with Pam wasn't so good, however. It seemed that Eric had ordered Pam to stay with him, but not to contact any other being, whether human, were, vampire or other. And she had been mightily pissed at him for that. Sure, she had protected him when he'd had moments of weakness, and she'd stopped him from doing anything stupid. But she was also aware of my predicament, and hated Eric for not letting her contact me.

Eric himself couldn't remember making such an order, and I wondered whether vampires were susceptible to post traumatic stress disorder, as it really seemed that way. I'd spoken to him about maybe speaking to Dr Ludwig about it – something he was hugely against – but he put in a convincing argument that with me by his side he didn't need anything else. I was willing to give him the benefit of a doubt, and he did seem to be okay.

Pam was respectful to Eric in public, and showed herself to be still the competent lieutenant, but in private she was snarkier than ever with Eric, to the point where she openly defied him at times. She made it clear that she didn't approve of me forgiving him so easily, and she wasn't being easy on him.

However, when it became clear that her attitude towards him was hurting him, I knew I had to intervene. Pam, of course, was ecstatic that Eric was going to turn me. She told me she was looking forward to having me as a 'little sister' and would lead me astray in every way she knew possible. Not unsurprisingly, I didn't disbelieve her.

She was also helping me prepare for both my upcoming nuptials and my turning, events that were going to be happening within weeks. In the two and a half months that Eric had been back, I'd put back on the weight I'd lost, and with Eric's blood I was healthier then I'd been in a while. But I wasn't one hundred per cent, and I knew that without my vampire blood diet I would be feeling a lot worse.

"You know that it's hurting him that you're not speaking to him," I announced to her after months of staying out of their affairs.

I was at the beautician having all my excess body hair removed before my turning. I'd already had a hair trim, manicure and pedicure. It was only days until I was leaving for Finland, and Pam had told me of the importance of doing this, something she had not had the chance to do.

"You've forgiven him too easily."

I hadn't wanted to get involved in Eric and Pam's disagreement, but it was starting to really bother Eric and I didn't want to see him hurting.

"You may think that, but that's up to me. I don't blame him."

"You should. You could have been kidnapped or killed while he was away moping."

"He wasn't moping."

"He was. And I know because I had to stay with him for the whole fucking time."

I hissed as the beautician ripped off one of the strips of hot wax in an area I'd rather she was nowhere near. "I know that you were relieved he pulled himself out of it." Eric had told me that.

"Of course. He is my maker; I do not wish him to meet the final death. But that doesn't change the fact that he was an asshole."

I sighed. "Fine, Pam. You're entitled to your opinion. But you not talking to him is hurting him more than he is letting on to you." She scoffed and looked away, but I caught a glimpse of concern on her face. "He's already lost one child; he wouldn't survive losing you as well." I had a feeling that was right as well.

"I just don't know why he was so upset about her death. He was in love with you."

"Their relationship was complex. He did still love her in a way, and she still loved him. I accepted that. It didn't necessarily mean I liked it, and I guess I was jealous of their past, but Eric wasn't himself. He's not normally weak like that, you know that. He was grieving for her, as he would you as well if anything happened. Why don't you just talk to him?"

She gave me a look that said a lot. "Fine." It wasn't a lot, but it was probably a step in the right direction.

When we got home that night I made a point of leaving Pam and Eric alone, spending some time on the phone with Amelia who was just about ready to burst – being nearly two weeks late for her son being born. Amelia had been against me volunteering to be turned initially, but she soon understood the options, and came around. It was going to be hard, though, that I wasn't going to be able to be there for her when she had her son, but she promised to speak often on the phone or via Skype.

For the most part I hadn't told the others. Alcide and Maria of course knew, but my brother didn't even know I was dating a vampire, let alone about to become one. And when it came to him, that seemed to be the best option.

.

I hadn't anticipated it being so damned cold when we arrived. We'd flown in Eric's private plane straight to Rovaniemi in Finnish Lapland and, luckily for me, my vampire had thought to bring a warm coat for me. He certainly took his time wrapping me up so that I was warm against the chill outside, hands wondering all over my body getting me quite heated all over.

We were met at the airport by two tall blond vampires, who Eric obviously knew, and we were whisked into a warm Range Rover, our luggage safely stowed in the back of the car.

Eric had explained to me that we'd marry the next night in a small, intimate ceremony. The witnesses would be Fredrik, who was the sheriff of the area and an old friend of Eric's, along with Mathieu, Åsa's child, who was flying over to see Eric.

I had to admit to being a little reluctant to see Mathieu, and I worried that he would have a grudge against Eric or me for being involved in his Maker's death. But Eric had assured me that he had been in contact with Mathieu since Åsa's death, and he simply wanted to meet with Eric and me. He was apparently quite honoured to be asked to be a witness.

We were driving at what seemed like far too fast a speed considering there was snow on the ground, but Eric pulled me close to him and reassured me. Not that I really believed him considering I was still a lot more breakable than any of the vampires in the car. After a two-hour drive, we finally stopped in front of a large wooden building. Eric leaned across and did my coat back up, placing a soft kiss on my lips. His eyes were shining brightly, and I could feel his happiness.

"Button up; it's going to be cold."

As soon as Eric had left the car, he was outside my door and opening it for me. He extended a hand to me, before saying something in what I assumed to be Finnish to our former companions. They took out luggage out of the car and loaded it onto the trailer of a snowmobile.

"We're not staying here?" I asked, looking up at the large building.

"No. Although the ceremony will be held here tomorrow night. This is the home of the Sheriff Fredrik, who you will meet tomorrow." He walked up closer to me and wrapped his arms tightly around me. He pulled my woolly hat down over my ears and forehead. "Hold on tight."

Before I really knew what was happening, Eric shot up into the freezing cold night sky, and I buried my face into his chest to protect myself from the wind chill. Luckily, the flight wasn't long, and he was soon descending again in front of a large wooden cabin. Eric quickly flew us inside, and deposited me in front of a roaring open fire. I took the time to look around, seeing that the cabin had all the mod cons you'd expect, with a beautiful open plan living space and kitchen and large sweeping staircase which led to the upper floors.

"This place is beautiful," I mused as Eric helped me off with my thick coat.

"I'm glad you like it. This also belong to Fredrik, but I have a place very similar in Sweden which I would like to take you to one day."

"I'd like that." I leaned up and kissed his lips.

"This place is fully light-tight, although at some times of year the sun hardly even rises. We're not far from the arctic circle."

"So can I meet Santa?"

My vampire rolled his eyes. "You know, the legend of Santa Claus descends from the Finnish Joulupukki who was an evil, goat-like creature and demanded good behaviour."

"That doesn't sound like the Santa Claus I know," I said with a smile, kissing up Eric's neck.

"You can blame Coca-Cola for that," he smirked, his hands running down my now bare arms. "Are you hungry?"

I smiled. "For you? Yes."

"That wasn't what I meant, but I'm pleased all the same." Eric led me into the kitchen and opened up the fridge to reveal it full of food.

"You do realise that I'm only going to be a human for one more night?"

He sighed and leaned down to me, his forehead resting against mine. "I know. But I want to look after you, Sookie."

"I know. And thank you."

"There is nothing you need to thank me for."

We ended up cooking together, and I made a delicious meal of steak, jacket potato and vegetables, while Eric heated himself a blood. After we'd both eaten, Eric led me into the bedroom and slowly peeled off my clothes. He revered me, worshiping my warm body and bringing me to orgasm after orgasm before finally entering me and feeding me his own blood.

After that, he led me into the sauna where we both (well, me anyway) sweated in the heat. When I'd finally had enough, Eric picked me up and flew us outside into the freezing cold snow. He unceremoniously dumped me into a pile of snow, laughing aloud as I screamed bloody murder at him.

It was only a few seconds that I was in the snow before Eric flew me back in front of the fire, but it was enough to chill me to my bones. His reasoning of it being 'traditional' didn't stand with me, but Eric did more than enough to make it up to me.

The next night when I woke, Eric wasn't lying next to me. But instead I found a blue rose with a red ribbon around it and a note from Eric saying that he'd see me at the altar. It was daylight still when I rose, and I took the time to shower and scrub myself down. Eric had arranged for two of Fredrik's humans to come and help me ready myself, and at first dark both women appeared.

They both spoke perfect English, albeit highly accented, and told me about their own lives living with Fredrik. It seemed he was a good sheriff and well respected in both the vampire and human world. It surprised me that the vampires were so open here, but there had been no reported problems of hatred against vampires, which was a vast contrast to some of the goings on in the Southern States. I assumed this was why they were so open to allow human-vampire marriages.

The girls, who were both in their early twenties, helped me into the wedding dress, which had been bought on that disastrous night in New Orleans. I was pleased that it now fitted me again, as when I'd tried it on with Amelia the month before it was still a little loose on me. They helped me with my hair and make-up, and at the allotted time, wrapped me in a thick fur-lined coat to be taken – by snowmobile – to my wedding.

I had to admit that at no time did I ever envisage my wedding would involve a snowmobile, but it was perfect and romantic, and I couldn't imagine a better way of marrying Eric. We arrived at the large house, and I was helped into the building, but only to be greeted by Niall.

"Great-granddaughter, you look beautiful." He helped me off with the coat and handed it to one of the workers.

"Niall … I didn't expect to see you!"

"Your vampire invited me here. I am your eldest male relative, after all."

I couldn't help but tear up a little. "Thank you."

"Anything for you, Sookie. I am sorry that you have been so unwell. I honestly assumed that you would be well."

"I know. Dr Ludwig explained that to me. You are okay with me becoming vampire?"

"It's not ideal, I'm sure you can appreciate that." He smiled. "But I would rather this than your death. We both know your vampire would not be far behind you, and the world needs vampires like him. You will make a great and gracious vampire. Just don't forget who you are."

"I won't. I have no intention of doing all that killing. It's barbaric."

He leaned in and placed a kiss on my forehead. "That's my girl. Ready?"

I was. I nodded to Niall and let him lead me towards my soon-to-be husband. There weren't many in the ornate room when we walked in, but it wouldn't have mattered if there were a thousand as my eyes instantly snapped to Eric. He turned to face me as soon as I entered, his blue eyes blazing as he met mine. He looked incredible in his well-fitting black tuxedo, with a tie that perfectly matched his eyes and his hair wild and loose around his shoulders.

Although entirely inappropriate, I couldn't help the surge of lust that shot through me, something obviously felt by Eric considering the smirk on his face. However, considering the lust I was getting from him, I could tell that he too approved of my dress.

The ceremony was beautiful, simple and absolutely perfect. Niall gave me away to Eric, nodding his head to my vampire in consent, and the human registrar conducted the ceremony in a mixture of English, and, I assumed, Finnish, although Eric had no problems with understanding the language as he translated quietly for me. We signed the register and were handed our marriage certificates to take away.

"I love you, Mrs Northman," he whispered into my ear as we left the venue. Niall had already said his goodbyes and we were momentarily alone.

"I love you more." I stood on my tiptoes to kiss him, my arms wrapping around his neck as I pulled him down to me. I could feel his hardness and I was desperate for him. But we were interrupted by a throat clearing, and my sixth sense told me that it was a vampire.

I turned to see an attractive dark-haired vampire standing watching us. I'd recognised him as being one of the guests, and I assumed that he was Mathieu.

"It is an honour to meet you, Sookie," he said, bowing his head but not extending a hand.

"Sookie," Eric started, "this is Mathieu, Åsa's child."

"An honour to meet you too," I told him, bowing my head to him. I felt my anxiety spike, but Eric placed a calming hand on my back.

"My maker spoke of you often, and I see that she didn't exaggerate your beauty." I wasn't too sure about that, but I simply smiled. "You are a worthy human, Mrs Northman, and you will make a great vampire." He had a gently lilting French accent, and he certainly had something about him. Although I didn't think I would chose him over Eric as Åsa had done. "I wish you all the best, and I look forward to meeting you again someday."

He nodded to me, before eyeing Eric. Both men nodded at the same time before Mathieu walked out of the room and into the night.

"What was all that about?" I asked Eric.

He sighed. "We talked earlier tonight. I told him everything. He had a right to know as Åsa's child what happened to her. He wished to meet you, but I'd say that you thoroughly charmed him." I didn't quite know what I had done. "Just being yourself is enough to win most vampires over, Sookie. And he is right, you will make a wonderful vampire."

"Well, I'd better enjoy my last night as a human then." I smiled up at Eric.

"Come with me," he announced, before taking my hand and going to get the fur coat. Once I was suitably robed, he led me out onto the balcony

My eyes were fixed on him, but he tilted my chin to look up into the night sky. Above me was a beautiful pattern of golds, green and blues above the treeline and illuminating the sky above me. It was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen, and I couldn't stop the tears that sprang to my eyes.

"Sookie?" Eric queried.

"It's beautiful. Perfect."

I looked back into his eyes and smiled. He was my everything. And on my last night as a human I didn't think that I could be more in love. I was looking forward to my turning. I knew that it was going to be difficult at times and a lot to adjust to, but I wanted to be with Eric.

"It's even better through vampire eyes," he whispered, before wrapping his arms around me and flying us quickly to the log cabin.

Almost as soon as we landed we were pulling the clothes off of one another, and he plunged deep inside me as we both moaned in pleasure. Our lovemaking was slow and emotional as he revered my body, taking in its warmth for one last night. We made love in the Jacuzzi on the veranda, we made love in front of the fire, we made love in the kitchen. But with an hour or so before dawn I sensed a seriousness from him.

"I want this," I reassured him, placing a hand on his cheek. "I want you."

I could see the pink rims of his eyes. "I know. And I want you as well. But I do not want to take your life."

"Eric, I am dying anyway. I probably don't have more than a few years, and that is with taking your blood. If I hadn't met you I may already be dead." Eric tightly closed his eyes. "I love you, and I want you forever." I looked up into his eyes and placed my hands on his jawline as my thumbs caressed his cheeks. "Please, make me vampire."

He paused for a second before wrapping me in his arms, carrying me to the bedroom and placing me down on the four-poster bed. He looked down at me, obviously taking in my form as his eyes were on by heaving chest. He gave me a small smile before taking a seat next to me.

"Forgive me," he whispered.

"I already do. I love you."

He repeated the words back to me before leaning in to my neck. He licked me one, then again, before I felt the slight sting of his fangs sinking into the flesh of my neck. It was as pleasurable as normal, and I writhed around on the bed enjoying his bite. But where he would normally have withdrawn his fangs, he carried on drinking.

I knew I shouldn't panic considering I had asked him to do this, but I instinctively started to hit at his back and try to get away from him. Eric groaned in protest, but pinned me to the bed, taking larger mouthfuls of my blood as I began to feel weaker. As I felt my heart begin to give up, his bloody wrist appeared at my mouth and he fed me his cool blood.

I didn't remember much more than that.

But my body was hyperaware.

I could hear the wind in the trees, owls hooting and a fire crackling in the grate. I could feel the softness of the sheets around my naked body, and I could feel every cell.

And I was thirsty, so absolutely thirsty. And it was odd, as it was different to be hungry, and different to when I needed to drink before. But I knew what I wanted. What I needed.

"Sookie?"

Eric. His voice was deep and manly, and like velvet to my ears. My eyes snapped open to see him standing at the foot of the bed, and I launched myself at him. I surprised myself with the sudden movement, but Eric held me in this strong arms, cradling me against his chest before placing me back onto the bed.

"How do you feel?"

How did I feel? I felt everything. I was sure that I felt every emotion going. But I was overcome by the most delicious smell, and my fangs suddenly slipped down. The sensation was strange, and my hand shot to me mouth. I looked up at Eric but he simply smiled.

"You are hungry, I can feel it." He took a few steps and handed me a mug full of blood. Where before I may have baulked at such an offering, it was now the most delicious thing I could imagine. I drank down the cup quickly before he passed me one more. And then another three before I was fully sated. "Better?"

"Yes, thank you." I hardly recognised my own voice, and I hesitated, looking to my Maker for guidance. And he was even more beautiful than before. He was so handsome and mysterious, his pale blue eyes filled with emotions as he watched me with as much wonder.

"You are beautiful, Sookie." He picked me up off the bed and held me in his arms. "Thank you."

"No, thank you, Eric."

He smiled, and I felt his large and heavy erection pressing against my leg. It wasn't long before he was deep inside me and my fangs were lodged into his neck.

I was with Eric forever, and I was at home.

* * *

**So, that's it. I'm not ruling out carrying on, but right now I'm burnt out with this one. And I'm sorry if this ending has disappointed some people, but it's how I planned it. Anyway, I may write more, but not right now.**

**I'd like to thank everyone who has taken the time to read this, and those who have reviewed. I hope that everyone has enjoyed this ride.**

**However, I do have another story planned, and it's an idea that's been bugging me for a while. It'll be called **_**Kaleidoscope**_**, and I hope to have the prologue and first chapter up by next weekend, if not a lot sooner. It's AH, but I hope those that don't like AH will give it a go. Personally, I prefer writing it.**

**Anyway, thanks again, and hope you continue to follow my stories.**


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